Mental Health Counselor Resume Examples

Mental Health Counselor Resume Sample

Tobias G. Summerall

Address: 2747 Charlotte Avenue; Grand Rapids, MI.
Phone: (616) 749 6874
Email: [email protected]
Current Job: Michigan Institute of Behavioral Sciences; Grand Rapids, MI.

Objective Statement

NBCC-certified Mental Health Counselor with 5 years of work experience in various capacities is interested in becoming a Mental Health Counselor for the Center of Mental Health and Well Being. I have extensive experience in the field of research, group counselling, and the practical application of different treatment protocols.

Strengths/Special Skills

• Passed the National Clinical Mental Health Counselling exam as issued by the National Board for Certified Counsellors.
• Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology; Aquinas College.
• Experienced in research.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Results-oriented

Work Experience

Mental Health Counselor; 2017 to Present
Michigan Institute of Behavioural Sciences; Grand Rapids, MI.

Responsibilities:

• Schedule group and individual sessions with patients; schedules are based on the evaluation of the patient’s condition and after a review of the treatment protocols.
• Design treatment protocols for patients based on their individual conditions and level of progress.
• Perform research to find possible treatments and recovery programs for patients.
• Conduct individual consultation to select patients on a priority basis.
• Track and monitor the progress of each patient.
• Update patient records.
• Run tests on proposed medications prior to recommending to patients.
• Provide consultation for the parents and family members.
• Preside over intervention sessions.
• Prepare reports and discuss findings with lead or designated Psychologists.

Mental Health Counselor; 2015 to 2017
East Grand Rapids High School; Grand Rapids, MI.

Responsibilities

• Provide counselling to students.
• Schedule psychological tests and evaluations of students twice yearly.
• Attend to questions and concerns relayed by students via email or phone.
• Design treatment protocols and procedures to address the mental and emotional issues of students and teachers.
• Conduct psychological tests and evaluate results.
• Review and recommend improvements to the current career assessment program.

Education

College
Bachelor’s Degree
Psychology
Aquinas College
Grand Rapids, MI
2009 to 2013

High School
City Middle High School
Grand Rapids, MI.
2005 to 2009

Mental Health Counselor Supervisor Resume Sample

Name: Mike Meyer

Address: Birmingham, AL 35209

Phone: (882) 832-6845

Email: [email protected]

Current job: Mental Health Counselor Supervisor at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Orlando

Objective

I am a Mental Health Counselor Supervisor who is passionate about helping others while maintaining a healthy work-life balance. I have over 10 years of experience providing counseling services and am skilled in managing a team.

I am committed to the personal and professional growth of those around me and have a strong understanding of the importance of self-care.

Work Experience

Mental Health Counselor Supervisor, 2018 – present
Bucktail Medical Center

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Create a list of in-house and external resources for employees to use
• Make a list of counsellors that are not meeting expectations and provide counselling in order to improve performance
• Provide counselling for employees that are struggling
• Manage the operations of the company
• Supervise counselling staff and maintain relationships with clients
• Meet with clients and their families to discuss goals and plans for treatment
• Manage case files
• Develop programs to promote the mental health of employees

Mental Health Counselor Supervisor, 2014 – 2018

South Georgia Medical Center Lanier

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provide individual, couple, family and group counselling to students on an as-needed basis
• Evaluate the effectiveness of counselling services
• Develop and conducts workshops, training and other programs and activities to promote the wellness of students
• Assess the needs of students and parents in crisis situations
• Establish and coordinates community partnerships
• Maintain a counselling program
• Conduct research on effective ways to improve student wellness

Mental Health Counselor Supervisor, 2012 – 2014

M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Orlando

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Supervise a staff of counsellors
• Maintain counselling records
• Evaluate employee performance
• Recommend personnel actions such as hiring, firing, and advancement
• Develop and implement personnel policies
• Establish and maintain budget for the division
• Establish and maintain divisional policy
• Provide leadership to divisional staff

Skills

• Administration, Supervision, and Management Skills
• Programming, Research, and Evaluation Skills
• Public Speaking Skills
• Leadership, Motivation, and Team Building Skills
• Public Relations and Marketing Skills
• Computer Software (MS Word, Excel)
• Negotiation Skills
• Program Development and Implementation Skills
• Training, Teaching, and Education Skills
• Creative Writing Skill
• Strong Interpersonal Skills
• Conflict Resolution

Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor Resume Sample

Name: Steven Hayden

Address: Englewood, NJ 07631

Phone: (757) 790-9914

Email: [email protected]

Current job: Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor at NCH Healthcare System – North Naples

Objective

I am a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor with ten years of experience. I am passionate about helping people with mental health and behavioral disorders to achieve the highest level of self-actualization that they can achieve. I have excellent interpersonal skills and an engaging personality. I have a strong commitment to the profession of mental health counseling and have a deep desire to help others in their time of need.

Work Experience

Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, 2018 – present
Butler Memorial Hospital

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provide clinical supervision and consultation to employees
• Provide training and consultation to staff
• Conduct staff consultations with supervisors
• Consult with administration on emerging issues in the work environment
• Maintain records of client treatment sessions and make notes for evaluation
• Develop, facilitate, and provide mental health interventions for enrolled patients
• Conduct mental health assessments and prepare treatment plans

Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, 2014 – 2018

WellStar Spalding Regional Hospital

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provide psychotherapy to children, adolescents, and adults
• Teach undergraduate and graduate courses related to mental health counselling
• Conduct research in the field of mental health counselling
• Perform forensic work related to mental health
• Offer lectures on topics related to psychology or mental health counselling
• Provide supervision to social workers, clinical psychologists and other licensed mental health professionals

Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, 2012 – 2014

NCH Healthcare System – North Naples

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Conduct therapy with clients to assess, diagnose, and treat mental health, behavioural, or emotional issues.
• Offer support and guidance.
• Provide referrals to individuals who may need additional assistance.
• Provide comprehensive counselling services such as: individual therapy, family therapy, group therapy, anger management counselling, and substance abuse counselling.
• Educate clients about mental health topics such as depression, anxiety, and substance abuse.

Skills

• Counselling
• Case management
• Crisis intervention
• Drug and alcohol counselling
• Group therapy
• Psychotherapy
• Social work
• Crisis management
• Mental health advocacy and education
• Suicide prevention and intervention
• Public speaking

School Mental Health Counselor Resume Sample

Name: Nickolas Walker

Address: Essex, MD 21221

Phone: (672) 729-4994

Email: [email protected]

Current job: School Mental Health Counselor at Northwest Florida Community Hospital

Objective

I am a School Mental Health Counselor looking to work with adolescents in a school setting. I am eager to help students through difficult situations, and resolve conflicts that may arise. I have experience working with adolescents, and have been trained as a suicide first responder.

I am looking for a school counselling position that will allow me to help students through difficult times, and help them with their mental health needs.

Work Experience

School Mental Health Counselor, 2018 – present
Cancer Treatment Centers of America

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Work with students, faculty, parents, and other service providers to prevent and address mental health problems
• Provide individual and group counselling services
• Maintain records of counselling sessions in a confidential manner
• Provide outreach services to the campus community
• Collaborate with on-campus organizations and off-campus providers to ensure the provision of a comprehensive range of mental health services
• Provide training for faculty, staff, students, and parents on topics such as suicide prevention

School Mental Health Counselor, 2014 – 2018

DeKalb Medical Long Term Acute Care

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provide crisis intervention and suicide prevention services
• Provide assessment and evaluations for students, staff and families
• Work in collaboration with school administrators, teachers, other staff, parents and community members to address the mental health needs of students
• Participate in professional development
• Develop and implement a school mental health plan to address the mental health needs of students
• Plan, implement and evaluate activities and interventions that promote mental health

School Mental Health Counselor, 2012 – 2014

Northwest Florida Community Hospital

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Offer counselling services to students and parents
• Develop and implements a plan of action for students experiencing mental health issues
• Participate in the identification and referral process for students who are at risk of suicide
• Provide various mental health screenings and assessments
• Collaborate with the school administration to develop mental health policies and procedures
• Assist teachers in developing classroom strategies to promote student well-being
• Lead workshops on topics such as bullying prevention, social skills

Skills

• Ability to work with and deal with students, parents, and staff members
• Highly skilled organizer
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Organization skills
• Exceptional communication skills
• Effective at planning, implementing, and evaluating programs
• Skilled at leading workshops in a variety of settings
• Knowledge of a variety of counselling theories
• Maintains confidentiality
• Strong critical thinking skills
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite

Military Mental Health Counselor Resume Sample

Name: Malaki Sutton

Address: Clayton, NC 27520

Phone: (412) 830-0708

Email: [email protected]

Current job: Military Mental Health Counselor at Salah Foundation Children’s Hospital

Objective

I am a Military Mental Health Counselor with over 8 years of experience. I am looking for a new and exciting challenge where I can make a difference in the lives of others.

I am a dedicated, detail-oriented, and passionate individual with a sincere desire to help people. I am an empathetic, self-directed professional with the ability to work well in a team environment.

Work Experience

Military Mental Health Counselor, 2018 – present
Canonsburg Hospital

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provide counselling and psychotherapy to military members and their families
• Assist military members with readjustment to post-military life
• Assist in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health problems
• Facilitate the treatment process by providing information, education, and support
• Provide group therapy sessions with military personnel and their families
• Assist in the development of individualized treatment plans for patients
• Provide consultation services to community providers
• Work with psychologists

Military Mental Health Counselor, 2014 – 2018

Regency Hospital of Central Georgia

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provide guidance and support to military personnel and their families from all branches of the military
• Assess and provide mental health intervention to military personnel and their families
• Conduct, supervise, facilitate, and monitor all mental health services
• Provide crisis intervention, assessment, and referral for military personnel and their families
• Provide clinical supervision to all levels of mental health providers

Military Mental Health Counselor, 2012 – 2014

Salah Foundation Children’s Hospital

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Assess and treat patients with a range of mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, phobias, and trauma
• Treat patients with psychiatric conditions and addiction
• Implement a therapeutic treatment plan that includes medication
• Follow-up with patients and families to ensure successful treatment
• Communicate effectively with patients, family members, and other healthcare providers
• Collaborate with medical personnel to coordinate hospitalization when needed

Skills

• Mental health counselling experience
• Behavioural health counselling experience
• Military experience
• Trauma counselling experience
• Counselling skills
• Problem-solving skills
• Verbal and written communications skills
• Ability to work independently and in a team environment

Finance Mental Health Counselor Resume Sample

Name: Eric Rhodes

Address: Freeport, NY 11520

Phone: (255) 447-3181

Email: [email protected]

Current job: Finance Mental Health Counselor at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital

Objective

As a Finance Mental Health Counselor, I am committed to helping every client live a healthy, happy life. I am a dedicated, detail-oriented professional with experience in counseling and finance.

I am looking for a Finance Mental Health Counselor job where I can use my counselling and finance skills to help clients live a healthy, happy life.

Work Experience

Finance Mental Health Counselor, 2018 – present
Chan Soon-Shiong Medical Center at Windber

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Help determining the need for counselling and assess the individual’s needs
• Evaluate the effectiveness of counselling
• Work closely with other professional such as a psychiatrists and other counsellors to ensure client’s needs are met
• Provide emotional support
• Assess and treats mental, behavioural, and emotional disorders and illnesses
• Provide education on mental health to the community
• Participate in ongoing professional development

Finance Mental Health Counselor, 2014 – 2018

Triumph the Specialty Hospital Rome

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Analyze and evaluate mental health problems, social and environmental factors, and psychosocial interventions
• Conduct individual and group psychotherapy
• Provide psychiatric care and treatment
• Provide psychopharmacological advice
• Develop mental health treatment plans
• Conduct community mental health assessments
• Educate community members and professionals in areas of mental health
• Train community members to be mental health counsellors

Finance Mental Health Counselor, 2012 – 2014

UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Organize and attend monthly and quarterly team meetings
• Develop, implement, and monitor discipline plan
• Maintain office inventory
• Schedule meeting rooms
• Coordinate catering orders
• Keep track of office supplies
• Create weekly work schedule
• Update the weekly schedule with any changes
• Create monthly budget report
• Send monthly budget reports to executives

Skills

• Social skills
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Excellent problem solving skills
• Ability to multitask and o work effectively under pressure
• Experience working with finance and budgeting
• Experience managing projects

How To Write A Good Mental Health Counselor Resume

Because this is a job where your clients or patients need expert, professional help, a good Mental Health Counselor resume is one that proves your qualification.

Tailor-Fit Your Resume

As we mentioned earlier, many different industries need Mental Health counsellors. Your experience, skills, and knowledge may be an ideal fit in one industry compared to others.

When writing your Mental Health Counselor resume, it must directly address the needs of the potential employer.

Review the job ad carefully and take note of the specific requirements for the job. What kind of Mental Health Counselor is the company looking for? What particular skills and knowledge must the ideal candidate possess?

Your resume must provide the answers or solutions to the demands posed by the company on its job ad.

State Your Technical Qualifications Right Away

Career planning for a Mental Health Counselor starts before you set out for your first job. You must know the type of Mental Health Counselor that you want to become while studying. This way, you’ll have a better idea of what the requirements or qualifications are for the job.

Generally, here are the technical qualifications for a Mental Health Counselor:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology or any field in Science.
• Advanced training or certifications in related programs for mental health. This is especially important for those who have a Bachelor’s Degree in a non-science field.
• Post-Graduate Education. We will discuss this qualification further in the next section. Suffice to say that as a medical profession, candidates with a higher level of education are more likely to be considered for the position.
• State licensure to practice as a Mental Counselor.

If you have a professional license, include the information as early as the Contact Information or you can create a separate section titled “Summary of Qualifications”.

Use the Reverse-Chronological Format

If you have impressive tenure and your work history does not show an unemployment gap of more than 4 months, use the reverse-chronological format.

The reverse-chronological format highlights your work experience section. Lead-off your work experience section with your present or most recent employment before working your way back to your earliest – but relevant – employment.

The structure of the reverse-chronological format is as follows:

• Contact Information
• Objective Statement or Summary of Qualifications
• Strengths
• Work Experience
• Education
• Certifications/Licenses
• Seminars Attended (optional)

“What if I don’t have work experience?”

We will discuss that in the section “Entry-Level Mental Health Counselor Resume”.

Make Sure Your Resume Is Easy to Read

Don’t stress out the recruiter by submitting a resume that’s hard to read. For example, don’t use fonts that are too small to read or write paragraphs for job descriptions.

Keep this in mind: Recruiters spend only a few seconds per resume. They don’t read it word-for-word. They scan your resume; looking for keywords that are relevant to the position.

So how can you make your resume easy-to-read?

• Choose professional font styles such as Calibri, Arial, Cambria, Helvetica, and Times New Roman.
• Choose a font style that is large enough to be read clearly; usually font size 14.
• Keep your job descriptions short.
• Avoid using technical terms.
• Use bullet points to organize your key information.
• Remove all errors in spelling and grammar.
• Don’t add designs that may distract the reader from the content.

Mental Health Counselor Skills List

Recruiters are very specific on the Mental Health Counselor skills list that they want to see on your resume.

• Education – You must have a good, solid understanding of the fundamentals of counseling. This is a skill that needs to be rooted in theory to be effectively carried out.Recruiters prefer candidates who have completed a 4-year degree in Psychology or a relevant course. In some cases, the employer may specifically require a candidate who has a Master’s Degree in Psychology.
• Certifications – Those who have completed their college education may want to consider taking certification courses in counseling that are offered by recognized groups in the profession.For example, the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) regularly offers graduate courses in Counseling that could add more value to your resume.
• Professional License – State licensing requirements will vary. Check with the regulating organizations in your state what the requirements are for acquiring a professional license as a Mental Health Counselor.In the United States, there are 2 types of licensing exams: the National Counselor Examination and the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination. Both exams are issued by the National Board for Certified Counselors.Many prospective employers will require its Mental Health Counselor to be certified by the state prior to hiring.
• Communication – Before you can give good advice, you must listen carefully and intently to the patient. Your advice must be customized to fit the situation of the patient.To be understood, you must have the ability to articulate your advice in a clear manner. Thus, effective communication is a very important skill for Mental Health counselors to have.
• Critical Thinking – As a Mental Health Counselor, critical thinking allows you to sort out the information provided by the patient, reconcile these with theories derived from formal learning and experience, to come up with the best treatments.
• Empathy – Having the ability to “feel” or position oneself as the patient is an important aspect of developing treatments. Empathy puts you in the same perspective as the patient.

Education, certifications, and acquiring a professional license are examples of proof of hard skills. You can present these on your resume.

However, communication, critical thinking, and empathy are examples of soft skills. How do you prove to the recruiter that you possess these soft skills? The answer is in the work experience section which we will discuss next.

Mental Health Counselor Duties And Responsibilities For The Work Experience Section

A Mental Health Counselor has several duties and responsibilities to attend to all of which are performed to help patients navigate through emotional and psychological distress.

What does a recruiter want to see in your Mental Health Counselor work experience section? He wants to find out if you know your duties and responsibilities by heart and to get an idea of how you perform in action.

Be Specific About Your Duties and Responsibilities

The last thing you would want to do is to submit a resume whereby the work experience section reads like 90% of the applicants. You have to stand out from the rest. You can do this by differentiating your work experience section.

• Give specific details about your tasks. For example, to help a patient overcome his depression, you scheduled sessions with support groups that deal with similar experiences.
• Mention methods that you used to help your patients. For example, if you used methods such as exposure therapy.
• Provide results of your methods. Let the recruiter the percentage success rate you achieved with your patients.

Keep Your Job Descriptions Simple and Easy to Understand

Recruiters are not trained psychologists. They are experts in Human Resources which do involve a bit of psychology but not at the same level as that of a trained Mental Health Counselor.

Thus, avoid using technical terms or medical jargon. Keep your job descriptions simple and easy to understand. Remember, a recruiter only scans the resume so he can move on to the next one.

Your job descriptions should provide clear answers or solutions to the needs summarized by the employer in the ad.

Use the Right Verbs

Since it’s important to keep your job descriptions short, you should lead them off with the right verbs in order to create the proper imagery in the mind of the recruiter.

What are the best verbs for a Mental Health Counselor?

• Study
• Research
• Perform
• Discuss
• Orient
• Assist
• Provide
• Help
• Schedule
• Collaborate
• Coordinate
• Organize
• Evaluate
• Analyze
• Preside
• Attend
• Conduct
• Perform
• Review
• Counsel
• Consult

Present Your Tasks in Chronological Order

Another interesting way to present the duties and responsibilities in the Mental Health Counselor work experience section is to arrange them in chronological order.

“How does a day in your life look like?”

• Review the medical records of the patients scheduled for the day.
• Prepare all the materials, references, and tools to be used for various treatment protocols.
• Orient the patient on the activities for the day.
• Preside over support group meetings.
• Evaluate the results of the tests.
• Provide private consultation services to patients and their families.
• Respond to messages from patients on social media and email.
• Conduct all off-site treatment procedures as scheduled.
• Confirm appointments for the following day.

Entry Level Mental Health Counselor Resume

Yes, many hospitals, clinics, and organizations prefer experienced Mental Health counselors. But if your entry-level Mental Health Counselor resume is on point and you play your cards right in the job market, your first paycheck could just be around the corner.

Use the Functional or Combination Format

If you don’t have work experience as a Mental Health Counselor, you can choose between a functional or a combination format.

Which one should you choose?

Functional – For fresh college graduates or those with very little work experience in other fields but have acquired the necessary skills, education, and certifications.

Combination – For those with extensive work experience in a field that is related to Mental Health counseling work; have acquired the requisite education, training, and certifications, and are planning a change in career.

The structure of both types of formats is the same:

• Contact Information
• Objective Statement or Summary of Qualifications
• Strengths
• Certifications/Licenses
• Seminars Attended
• Education
• Work Experience

Put Your Professional License Front and Center

Even if you don’t have work experience but you successfully acquired a professional license or certifications that allow you to practice, you will be considered for the job.

Indicate that you are professionally licensed in the Contact Information by stating your license number. You should also mention it in your Objective Statement.

Apply to Entry-Level Job Openings

There are job ads that specifically ask for “entry-level” candidates or those with “No Experience”.

Applying to those jobs with your entry-level Mental Health Counselor resume will give you a better chance of launching your career.

Take your time reviewing all the job ads that interest you. It may take some time to get a response but be patient. If possible, apply to as many job openings as possible.

In the meantime, if the phone isn’t ringing, try to strengthen your resume by taking additional courses that are relevant to the work of a Mental Health Counselor.

You may also want to handle volunteer work as this enhances the value of your resume.