Social Services Counselor Resume Examples & Templates
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As a social services counselor, you assess clients’ needs, develop personalized plans and help them navigate and access the necessary resources and services. Providing a safe space to help your client succeed requires upskilling, continuous education and extensive experience.
Whether you’re seeking to work in substance abuse, grief counseling, child development or another field, a well-written counselor resume can help you reach the next step in your career. Browse our expertly crafted resume examples and actionable tips to craft your winning resume today.
Start by editing this social services counselor resume sample template or explore our 40+ resume templates to find one that matches your style.
Counselor resume example (text version)
Amy Warren
Portland, OR 97238
(555) 555-5555
example@example.com
Professional Summary
Seasoned counselor with a decade of experience in delivering high-quality mental health services. Skilled in conducting individual and group therapy sessions, addressing diverse issues such as anxiety, depression and interpersonal relationships. Demonstrated ability to collaborate with multidisciplinary teams and implement evidence-based interventions.
Work History
November 2021 – Current
Trillium Family Services – Portland, OR
Counseling Supervisor
- Supervise and mentor a team of 10 junior counselors, contributing to a 30% improvement in team efficiency and performance.
- Develop and implement specialized counseling programs for at-risk youth, resulting in a 25% reduction in behavioral incidents within the program.
- Conduct regular training sessions on trauma-informed care, enhancing the team’s ability to work with clients who have experienced trauma.
September 2018 – October 2021
UnitedHealth Group – Portland, OR
Senior Counselor
- Coordinated and facilitated 12 group therapy sessions monthly, resulting in a 20% increase in client engagement and satisfaction.
- Conducted bi-weekly individual counseling sessions, achieving an 85% success rate in helping clients achieve their established therapeutic goals.
- Implemented a crisis intervention protocol, leading to a 100% adherence to safety procedures and successful management of critical situations.
June 2013 – August 2018
Health Allies Counseling – Portland, OR
Counselor
- Provided individual and family counseling services, maintaining a caseload of 25 clients and achieving a 90% client retention rate.
- Collaborated with community organizations to expand mental health resources, leading to a 15% increase in accessible services for clients.
- Implemented a peer support program, resulting in a 20% improvement in clients reporting increased feelings of social support.
Skills
- Individual and group counseling
- Crisis intervention
- Program development
- Assessment and treatment planning
- Documentation and record-keeping
- Supervision and mentorship
- Active listening and empathy
- Communication and interpersonal skills
Education
- Portland State University
Master of Science Counseling - Portland State University
Bachelor of Arts Psychology
Certifications
Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) – (Updated 2023)
National Certified Counselor (NCC) – (Updated 2023)
Important resume sections
Contact details
Your counselor resume needs to include up-to-date contact information so that employers can contact you for an interview. Include your full name, city, state and ZIP code. Also add your phone number and a professional email address. If you have a website or professional networking profile, link it here.
Personal statement
A resume summary is a three-to-five-sentence introduction at the top of your resume that presents your relevant skills and qualifications to the hiring manager.
Here is an example resume summary for a counselor resume:
“Compassionate social services counselor with over five years of experience providing counseling, advocacy and support to diverse populations. Skilled in assessing client needs, developing individualized plans and connecting clients with necessary resources and services. Experienced in addressing mental health, addiction, domestic violence and poverty-related issues. Dedicated to empowering clients to achieve their goals and improve their quality of life through compassionate and culturally responsive care.”
Include one or two measurable accomplishments in your resume summary to demonstrate your impact as a counselor in past roles.
Skills
Listing skills on your resume is essential to show the qualities and experiences you bring to the table.
Include a balance of hard skills and soft skills to grab the hiring manager’s attention, ensuring that you include keywords from the job description.
Here are a few key skills for a social services counselor resume:
- Counseling and therapy: Provide counseling and therapeutic services, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing and trauma-informed care.
- Case management: Manage a caseload of clients, including assessing needs, developing treatment plans and coordinating services.
- Crisis intervention: Respond to crisis situations and provide support and intervention to clients in acute distress.
- Cultural competence: Work with clients from diverse backgrounds and understand the impact of cultural factors on health and well-being.
- Problem-solving and critical thinking: Assess complex situations and develop effective solutions to address client needs.
For your first counseling job, you can include transferable skills such as communication, multitasking and problem-solving.
Work history
Include a detailed work history section on your social services counselor resume. List your past roles in reverse-chronological order with the company names, locations and dates of employment.
For each role, include a bulleted list of three measurable accomplishments, for example:
- Increased client retention rates by 20% by implementing a new program that provided additional support and resources to clients.
- Conducted 50+ individual counseling sessions per month, resulting in a 90% satisfaction rate among clients.
- Developed and facilitated a successful group therapy program that served 15+ clients per session and received positive feedback from participants.
- Reduced the number of no-show appointments by 30% by implementing reminder calls and text messages to clients.
- Coordinated and facilitated a community outreach program that reached 100+ individuals and provided mental health and wellness education and resources.
If this is your first job, you can include other relevant work experience, like volunteer experiences, community services, professional projects and more.
Education
A resume for a counselor position needs to include an education section detailing your credentials. Start with your highest degree and work your way backward. On each point, include the educational institution’s name, the degree conferred and graduation year. For example:
EDUCATION
Master of Social Work (MSW)
XYZ University, City, State, Graduation Date
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
DEF College, City, State, Graduation Date
See how to list education on your resume for additional guidance from career experts. You do not need to include your graduation date if it was 10 years ago or more. If you did not attend college, list your high school and any other post-high school courses you’ve completed.
See why MyPerfectResume is a 5-star resume builder
Action verbs for your resume
A strong resume for a counselor will include powerful action words combined with quantifiable accomplishments. For example, “Restructured and implemented educational seminars for 15 patients and improved attendance by 80%” shows what you bring to the table better than ‘Provided treatment to clinic’s patients.’”
Here’s a short list of action words for a counselor resume:
- Assist
- Advocate
- Lead
- Research
- Assess
- Develop
- Partner
- Organize
- Observe
- Implement
Our Resume Builder can help you create a work history section that incorporates strong action verbs to complement your quantifiable accomplishments.
Best skills for your resume
Create a skills section with your best skills to grab the recruiter’s attention. Use the counselor job description for your resume skills section to match the required skills to the skills and traits that you possess.
Your skills might include the following:
- Advocacy
- Conflict resolution
- Intervention planning
- Communication
- Microsoft Office
- Case management
- Active listening
- Empathy
- Psychotropic medication knowledge
- Counseling and therapy
- Crisis intervention
- Cultural competence
- Problem-solving
- Teamwork
- Record-keeping
- Assessment and evaluation
Check out our 800+ resume examples to help you create the perfect social services counselor resume.
Certifications for your resume
You must complete your degree and practice to practice as an independent counselor. Verify your state requirements through the American Counseling Association.
For specific areas, like substance abuse and rehabilitation, there are several certification options for a counselor resume, including:
- National Certified Counselor (NCC)
- National Certified School Counselor (NCSC)
- Master Addictions Counselor (MAC)
- Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor (CCMHC)
- Certified Professional Counselor
- Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC)
- Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADC)
- Certified Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC)
Remember to verify the required licenses to practice in your state with your State Professional Counselor Licensure Board.
Pair your resume with a matching cover letter
FAQ
How do you write a counselor resume?
Start by gathering the information required for each section of your resume. See what to put on a resume for additional details about what to include in your counselor resume. Follow the tips below to get started:
- Highlight relevant skills: Create a separate section highlighting your relevant skills in counseling. Include both hard skills (e.g., counseling techniques, assessment tools) and soft skills (e.g., empathy, communication, problem-solving).
- Format your resume: Use a clean and professional resume format, such as reverse chronological or functional format. Use consistent formatting, headings and bullet points to make your resume easy to read.
- Tailor your resume to the job description: Review the job description and identify key skills and qualifications the employer seeks. Customize your resume to highlight your relevant experiences and skills that align with the job requirements.
- Keep it concise: Aim for a one-page resume unless you have extensive experience. Be selective in the information you include, focusing on the most relevant and impactful details.
See our guide on how to write a resume for additional tips and examples from career advice experts.
How do you write a professional summary for a counselor resume?
Approach your professional summary as an introduction. Chances are this is the first section of your resume a hiring manager will read.
Make an impact fast by writing three to five sentences that include your years of experience, job-relevant skills and key accomplishments.
For example: “Dedicated and compassionate social services counselor with over five years of experience providing counseling and support to individuals and families from diverse backgrounds. Skilled in crisis intervention, case management and trauma-informed care, focusing on empowering clients to achieve their goals and improve their quality of life. Passionate about social justice and advocating for marginalized populations.”
How do you list co-counseling experience on a resume?
A co-counselor, also known as a co-therapist or co-facilitator, is a term used to describe a counselor or therapist who works alongside another professional in providing counseling or therapy services. Co-counseling can take different forms depending on the context and goals of the counseling session.
If you’ve held a position as a co-counselor, there are two ways to include this information in your resume. If your main position was as a co-counselor, list it as the name of your role and include your notable accomplishments in a bulleted list. If you’ve acted as co-counselor, but it was not the main position, you can include the role in the bullet points with the rest of your achievements.
How do you list counseling credentials on a resume?
When listing counseling credentials on a resume, following a consistent and organized format is important. Here are some guidelines to help you list counseling credentials effectively:
- Place credentials after your name. Include your credentials immediately after your name at the top of your resume. For example: John Smith, MA, LPC, NCC.
- Use the appropriate acronyms. Use the standard acronyms for your counseling credentials. Such as LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor) and LMFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist).
- List credentials in order of importance. Arrange your credentials in order of relevance or importance to the position you are applying for. Consider the requirements of the job and the level of expertise each credential represents.
- Separate credentials with commas. Use commas to separate multiple credentials. For example: John Smith, MA, LPC, NCC.
- Include additional information if necessary. If there are specific certifications, specializations, or additional relevant credentials you have earned, you may include them after your primary counseling credentials. For example: John Smith, MA, LPC, NCC, Certified Trauma Specialist.
By listing your counseling credentials clearly and accurately, you can effectively highlight your qualifications and attract the attention of potential employers.
Best practices
- Use measurable achievements to describe your experience with crisis intervention, case management and referral coordination.
- Use action words to make an impact on your counselor resume.
- Tailor your resume to your target counselor job.
- Use keywords from the job description throughout your counselor resume.
- Format your counselor resume so that it is easy to read by ATS software and human eyes.
- Lie about your counselor experience and skills.
- Boast about your “incomparable” counselor abilities. Instead, provide concrete examples of your ability to build rapport with clients, families and community partners.
- Include irrelevant personal information such as your ethnicity and age.
- Add skills and experience that do not pertain to a counselor. Focus instead on your excellent communication, interpersonal and problem-solving skills.
- Forget to proofread. A counselor resume with errors is unprofessional and will be discarded.
Interview tips
Research the company or institution before your interview.
As you write your resume, research the employer for your job interview. Learn more through their website, recent news and any previous employees you may know. This will help you prepare for the interview and show the employer your interest and commitment. Plus, having a glimpse of the company culture before you arrive will give you an idea of what to expect.
Practice at home.
Prepare by practicing mock interview questions with the help of a friend or relative. Start by reviewing the most common interview questions, such as:
- Why Did You Choose This Career?
- Give Me a Specific Occasion in Which You Conformed to a Policy With Which You Did Not Agree
- Tell Me About a Time When You Were Forced to Think on Your Feet
Research online for other possible behavioral interview questions and practice with your interview partner. Once you’re done, ask them for feedback and work with them to improve. Also, prepare for job-specific questions, such as:
- Describe your experience working with diverse populations, including individuals from different cultural, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds.
- How do you approach building rapport with clients, and what strategies do you use to establish a trusting and supportive relationship with them?
- How do you prioritize and manage your caseload, and what strategies do you use to balance competing demands and deadlines?
Being prepared will boost your confidence and chances of getting a callback for a second counselor interview.
Be proactive and ask questions.
Determining if the company is the right fit for you and your career goals is important. Come up with questions that will get you the answers. For example:
- How does the agency collaborate with other community organizations or agencies to provide comprehensive services to clients?
- Can you describe the agency’s approach to crisis intervention and how social services counselors are involved in these situations?
- How does the agency measure client success or outcomes, and what role do social services counselors play in this process?
- What is the agency’s commitment to advocacy and social justice, and how are social services counselors encouraged to be involved in these efforts?
Remember, you can bring a small notebook or piece of paper to remember everything you want to ask. We also recommend practicing the STAR method before your interview, which is an effective framework for answering a variety of common questions.
Gather your references.
Round up your references before the interview. Contact former managers and colleagues who can vouch for your work ethic and skills. If this is your first full-time job as a counselor, you can request a reference from a mentor, former professor, community leader, volunteer coordinator or classmate.
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How we reviewed this article
Since 2013, we have helped more than 15 million job seekers. We want to make your career journey accessible and manageable through our services and Career Center’s how-to guides and tips. In our commitment to bring you a transparent process, we present our Editorial Process.
Sources
- American Counseling Association. Article. Choosing a Career in Counseling
- American Counseling Association. Article. Licensure and Requirements
- Bureau of Labor Statistics. Article. Community and Social Service Occupations
- Bureau of Labor Statistics. Article. Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors
- Bureau of Labor Statistics. Article. School and Career Counselors and Advisors
- Bureau of Labor Statistics. Article. Marriage and Family Therapists
- Positive Psychology. Article. 20 Basic Counseling Skills to Become an Effective Therapist
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Counselor Resume Example
Nilda Melissa is a Certified Professional Resume Writer who has written for The Washington Post and Latina Style Magazine. She has a master's in Journalism from Columbia University and is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
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