Behavioral Health Technician Resume Example

Nilda Melissa Diaz, CPRW
By Nilda Melissa Diaz, CPRW, Career Advice Expert Last Updated: December 20, 2022
  • 30% higher chance of getting a job‡
  • 42% higher response rate from recruiters‡

The first step in any job search is making sure that you have a well-crafted resume that is perfectly tailored to your target position. Behavioral health technicians serve clients with a variety of needs in many different settings, so you will need to carefully analyze the job description in order to ensure that your resume clearly demonstrates your suitability for the posted position.

Use the resume summary to highlight your years of experience, your specialization, and soft skills like empathy and patience that make you a great candidate. In the highlights section, you should list your certifications, trainings you have completed, and any special skills or experience that will make you stand out from the crowd. Finally, include any experience that you have with monitoring vitals, administering medication, and producing assessments or reports.

Check out our behavioral technician resume template as you work on polishing your own, and you’ll be on your way to a new job in no time.

behavioral health technician resume template

Behavioral Health Technician Resume Questions

1. How do you write a behavioral health technician resume?

Every great resume starts with the foundation of action-oriented writing. Action-oriented writing replaces passive verbiage with sentences that begin with powerful verbs. This writing technique creates a more engaging document that captures readers’ immediate attention. For an example of action-oriented writing, check our behavioral health technician resume sample.

From that foundation, build out your resume with a well-written summary, list of key skills, work experience section, and education. If you need help structuring your resume, try our resume builder. The industry-specific text examples make it easy to craft a personalized, highly effective resume.

2. What format should your behavioral health technician resume be in?

For jobseekers in the healthcare industry, classic resume formats work best. A classic format uses understated resume fonts and styling to create a professional look reflecting the gravity of the industry and its responsibilities. With a classic format, your resume makes excellent use of bullets and white space to deliver a neat, well-structured document that focuses on content above all else.

3. How do you list certifications on your behavioral health technician resume?

Certifications are critical to behavioral health technicians. Some, such as Certified Behavioral Health Technician (CBHT), work well as acronyms after your name in the header. This is a great way to get credentials essential for the job front and center, but don’t overdo it. Only list one or two important certifications this way, and only those you can condense to recognizable acronyms.

For the most part, these distinctive qualifications belong in your education section. Use our behavioral health technician resume sample as an example for how to structure your certifications in reverse chronological order, with dates and awarding institutions.

4. How do you describe achievements on your behavioral health technician resume?

Achievements should make up at least half of your work history. Integrate achievements into your job descriptions as short, tightly written bullet points written using action-driven language. Focus on results; if you can describe your results with metrics, even better.

Numbers catch the reader’s eye and create a stronger impression that remains in memory. Start with the outcome, then describe how you achieved the outcome ““ but don’t go into excessive details. Ideally you should describe your achievements in a single sentence.

5. How long should a behavioral health technician resume be?

The best resumes are a single page. Anything longer is usually unnecessary information, whether you’re including old, obsolete experience or excessive details. If you condense your work experience to the last 10-15 years, you can often eliminate a good deal of unnecessary information.

Your summary should also only consist of three sentences or bullet points. If it’s any longer, you run the risk of losing employers’ attention with padding or fluff. Review your resume multiple times, trimming on each pass, until you can cut it down to a document as neat as our behavioral health technician resume sample.

Resume Text

Aurora Handler

123 Fake Street
City, State, Zip Code
Cell: 000-000-0000
email@email.com

Summary

Compassionate and capable Behavioral Health Technician with experience handling patients with addictions and mood disorders. Adept at facilitating communication between doctors and patients as well as making recommendations for dietary health. Specializes in young adult and teenage patients.

Highlights

  • Deep knowledge of patient behavioral needs
  • Behavior monitoring
  • Medicine administration
  • Keep detailed and accurate records
  • Great communication with patients and families
  • Speaks English and Spanish
  • Respect for cultural diversity

Work Experience

March 2004 to June 2007 Company Name
— City, State Behavioral Health Technician

  • Monitored patient activity and progress.
  • Developed solid routines for patients.
  • Distributed healthy meals to patients on a daily basis.
  • Provided safe restraint whenever necessary.
  • Noted vital signs on a regular basis.
  • Assisted with hygiene routines.
  • Ensured safety of individuals with behavioral disorders.

August 2007 to March 2015 Company Name
— City, State Behavioral Health Technician

  • Reviewed patient case histories to become familiar with goals.
  • Assisted in preparation of meals and laundry service.
  • Engaged with patients to promote overall wellness.
  • Collaborated with doctors to support and counsel patients with depression.

Education

2003 University of California, City, State Bachelor of Science, Psychology