Counselor Resume Example

Clinical directors screen counselor resumes for licensure, populations served and treatment approaches. Before reading about your values, they need to know whether you can bill independently, which clients you are trained to treat, and which methods you use in session.

The Sample resume below belongs to a licensed professional counselor with six years in outpatient and community mental health, treating adults with anxiety, depression, trauma and co-occurring substance use. The bullets show caseload, modalities (CBT, DBT skills, EMDR), group work, measured progress on standard scales and the documentation habits an agency is audited on.

Match the setting in each application. A private group practice wants a full caseload and a specialty; a community agency wants crisis work, severe mental illness experience and teamwork across services. If you work in schools or camps, those roles have their own pages later in this library. The healthcare hub lists related roles, and the Hybrid template gives licenses and specialties room near the top.

Updated . The person and employers in this Sample resume are fictional.

Counselor sample resume

Theodore Lindgren

Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)

Richmond, VAtheodore.lindgren@example.com(804) 555-0189

Summary

Licensed professional counselor with six years treating adults in outpatient and community mental health settings. Carries a caseload of 28 clients using CBT, DBT skills and EMDR, with most clients showing meaningful improvement on the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 within twelve sessions. Trained in crisis assessment and comfortable coordinating care with psychiatry and primary care.

Experience

Licensed Professional Counselor, Quarry Hill Counseling Center

– Present

Richmond, VA

  • Provide individual therapy to a caseload of 26 to 30 adults with anxiety, depression, trauma and adjustment disorders, about 25 sessions a week.
  • Track outcomes with PHQ-9 and GAD-7 at intake and every fourth session; about two thirds of my clients reach a clinically significant drop within twelve sessions.
  • Started a weekly DBT skills group that has run for three years with a waiting list.
  • Complete notes and treatment plans within 24 hours; my charts passed every internal audit without corrections.
Resident in Counseling, Wickham Ridge Community Mental Health

–

Petersburg, VA

  • Counseled adults with serious mental illness and co-occurring substance use under clinical supervision, completing 3,400 residency hours.
  • Performed crisis and suicide risk assessments for walk-in clients and wrote safety plans with them.
  • Co-led an early recovery group for 10 to 12 clients twice a week.

Education

M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Tuckahoe State University, Richmond, VA

B.A. in Psychology

Tuckahoe State University, Richmond, VA

Skills

  • Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
  • DBT skills training
  • EMDR
  • Motivational interviewing
  • Trauma-informed care
  • Crisis and suicide risk assessment
  • Treatment planning
  • Group facilitation
  • DSM-5-TR diagnosis
  • Co-occurring disorders
  • Telehealth
  • Clinical documentation

Certifications

  • Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Virginia Board of Counseling,
  • National Certified Counselor (NCC), National Board for Certified Counselors,
  • EMDR Basic Training, EMDR International Association approved provider,

Start yours from this example

Bring your own resume or start blank, then tailor it to each posting in about two minutes.

Use this example

Templates for the counselor resume

All templates

How the resume changes with experience

The same counselor resume, written at three levels: a summary and three bullets for each.

Entry level

Zero to two years, or a first role in the title

Counseling graduate and resident in counseling with practicum experience in a college counseling center, trained in CBT and motivational interviewing.

  • Saw about 12 students a week for individual sessions during a 600-hour internship.
  • Passed the National Counselor Examination and registered as a resident in counseling.
  • Co-facilitated a stress management group for first-year students.

Mid level

Three to seven years, owns a process or a workload

Licensed counselor with four years in outpatient practice, holding a full caseload of adults and a specialty in anxiety and trauma.

  • Maintain a caseload of 25 adults with steady referrals from primary care partners.
  • Use EMDR and trauma-focused CBT with clients referred for trauma.
  • Supervise one resident's case consultations under the clinical director.

Senior

Eight years or more, leads people, budgets or programs

Clinical supervisor and licensed counselor with twelve years of practice, supervising residents and running the clinical quality program for a multi-site agency.

  • Provide weekly clinical supervision to six residents and approve their treatment plans.
  • Lead the agency's measurement-based care rollout across four clinics.
  • Carry a reduced caseload of complex trauma clients alongside supervisory duties.

Skills to put on the counselor resume

Hard skills

Evidence-based modalities
Directors want to know how you work in session, so name each approach you are trained in, such as CBT, DBT or EMDR, rather than saying eclectic.
Diagnosis and treatment planning
Accurate diagnosis and clear plans are required for billing and audits, and interviewers often ask you to walk through one.
Risk assessment and crisis intervention
Every clinical setting needs counselors who assess suicide and safety risk calmly and document it correctly.
Measurement-based care
Standard scales show progress to clients, supervisors and insurers, and more agencies expect them.
Group facilitation
Groups serve more clients per hour, so experience running one makes you useful to busy agencies.
Telehealth
Many practices offer remote sessions, and comfort with secure platforms and remote risk protocols is often required.

Soft skills

Therapeutic rapport
Clients stay in treatment when they trust their counselor, and retention is something directors track closely.
Cultural humility
Clinics serve diverse communities, and counselors who adapt their approach keep more clients engaged.
Using supervision well
Seeking consultation on hard cases is a sign of good judgment and protects clients, which supervisors value highly.

Mistakes that cost counselor interviews

  1. Leaving the license status unclear

    Write whether you are fully licensed, a resident or an associate, in which state, and any license you are pursuing. Directors decide on billing and supervision from that one line.

  2. Listing every approach you have heard of

    A long list of modalities reads as none in depth. Keep the approaches you are trained and supervised in, and show them in your bullets.

  3. No populations or caseload

    Say who you treat, what concerns they bring and how many clients you carry. A practice with a waiting list for trauma clients needs to know you fit it.

  4. Client stories on the page

    Even anonymized case details do not belong on a resume. Describe populations and outcomes in general terms and save clinical examples for the interview.

  5. Skipping documentation and outcomes

    Agencies are audited and paid on documentation. Mention timely notes, audit results and any outcome measures you use, because they show you are safe to hire.

Questions about the counselor resume

What should a counselor resume include?

License and state, degree, populations served, caseload, modalities, settings, outcome measures and supervision experience. Put the license right under your name.

How do I write a counselor resume as a resident or associate?

Lead with your degree, your resident or associate status, supervised hours and the license you are working toward. Describe practicum and internship work with the same detail as a paid job.

Should I list the NCE or NCMHCE on my resume?

Yes, if you have passed one. It shows you are on track to licensure, which matters for employers who plan your supervision and billing.

How long should a mental health counselor resume be?

One page early in your career, up to two with supervision, specialties and training. Keep licensure and recent clinical work on the first page.

How do I tailor a counselor resume to a private practice?

Stress specialties, full caseloads, retention and the insurance panels you know. Private practices want someone who fills a schedule and keeps clients engaged.

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