6 Counselor Resume Examples & Template

Counselor Resume Template (Text Format)

Follow this resume format to efficiently communicate your experience and credentials.

Here are more example counselor resumes for types and experience levels to get ideas for your own resume:

Entry-level counselor resume

This is a good example of what your resume should look like if you’ve just received your counseling license:

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Example highlights

• License: Listing your license in a separate section like this (and mentioning it in your resume introduction) ensures employers immediately know that you’re qualified to work as a counselor.
• Counseling specialization: This applicant focuses on their academic and practical experience with substance abuse counseling techniques, demonstrating that they’re ready to support people with addictions on their recovery journeys. Make sure you specify your areas of expertise on your own resume.

Experienced counselor resume

Are you already an experienced counselor with several years of experience under your belt? Use this example for reference when writing your resume:

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Example highlights

• Unique skill set: After a decade as a counselor, this applicant has developed a highly specialized skill set that makes them an excellent candidate for a position helping clients process traumatic experiences. Highlighting unique skills on your resume can help your application stand out when you’re up against candidates with the same amount of experience.
• Language skills: The applicant frequently works with community members from diverse backgrounds, making their Spanish language skills a major asset. If you’re linguistically talented, make sure to include your language skills on your resume.

School counselor resume

If you’re applying to work in a school, highlight your ability to work with young clients, like in this school counselor resume example:

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Example highlight

• Additional qualifications: Besides having an LPC, this applicant has received training to enhance their ability to provide students with the support they need. Including additional qualifications is a great way to demonstrate your commitment to professional development, and to providing the best service possible to your clients.

Mental health counselor resume

To land a job as a mental health counselor, you’ll need a well-written mental health counselor resume like this one:

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Example highlight

• Effective bullet points: Having well-written resume bullet points, like the ones on the resume above, is key to impressing hiring managers. Be as specific as you can when describing your achievements, for example by using numbers and keywords that appear in the job ad.

Camp counselor resume

If you’re applying for a job as a camp counselor, show employers that you’re patient and good with kids. Here’s a good example of a camp counselor resume that demonstrates these qualities:

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Example highlight

• Action verbs: Instead of starting every bullet point with “responsible for” or “tasked with” this applicant phrases their bullet points as accomplishments by beginning each bullet with action verbs like “advanced” and “implemented.”

How to write a counselor resume

As a counselor, you’ll be working with vulnerable clients, so employers need to know you’re reliable and have the credentials and people skills necessary for success.

Here are four tips for writing a professional counseling resume that demonstrates these key qualities:

1. Start with an attention-grabbing resume summary

Your resume summary is the first thing employers look at on your resume, so it needs to grab their attention and quickly inform them of your top qualifications.

Your counseling resume summary should:

• be 3–5 sentences long
• include your counseling credentials, such as university degrees, licenses, and certifications
• highlight your experience, including any areas of expertise or specialization
• showcase your most relevant skills
• mention what you hope to accomplish

Here are three examples of effective counseling resume summaries:

2. Demonstrate your counseling experience

Your work experience section is where you want to highlight your most relevant counseling experience. If you’re not sure what that is, revisit the job ad for the position you’re applying to and identify the keywords that describe the type of experience the employer is looking for.

These keywords will be words or phrases that describe particular skills and experiences that will help you be successful as a counselor. Adding specific keywords to your resume increases the likelihood that you’ll get called for an interview.

For example, if the job ad specifies the organization is looking for counselors with active listening skills and experience in crisis counseling, here’s how you could tailor your resume to meet the employer’s expectations:

If you’re writing an entry-level counselor resume or a counseling intern resume, you won’t have as much professional experience to include.

Instead, focus on showcasing other experiences, such as volunteer work, in which you applied relevant transferable skills.

Here’s an example of what that might look like:

If you’re a recent graduate who’s lacking professional counseling experience, expanding your education section to include relevant coursework is also a great option.

3. Showcase your credentials

As a counselor, your credentials are important. Employers (and clients) want to know that you have all the required qualifications, state licenses, and certifications you need to practice.

The easiest way to ensure employers see your credentials is to create a special licenses and certifications section on your resume. Make sure your credentials are up-to-date and meet state licensure requirements.

Each license or certification listing should include:

1. the name of the license/certification
2. the organization or body that awarded it
3. year it was earned
4. location (City, State) or “Online”

Here’s an example of a certifications section on an LPC resume:

You should also make sure you showcase counseling-relevant undergraduate and graduate degrees in your resume education section.

4. Highlight your counselor skills

Counselors need a solid set of hard and soft skills to provide effective help and guidance for their clients. Show employers you’re well-equipped to handle the job with this list of counseling skills for your resume:

• Empathy
• Active listening skills
• Knowledge of counseling methods and techniques
• Verbal communication skills
• Patience
• Constructive feedback
• Questioning
• Prompting
• Paraphrasing
• Cultural sensitivity
• Discretion
• Trust building
• Observation
• Reflection
• Problem solving
• Analytical skills
• Creating treatment plans

Dr. Supatra Tovar, Clinical Psychologist, explains why it’s important to not only focus on developing hard skills as a healthcare professional:

One common misconception is that working in healthcare is purely about technical skills and knowledge. In reality, much of the work involves navigating complex interpersonal dynamics, both with patients and within the healthcare team.

Resume examples for different industries

Not sure what your resume should look like? The best way to learn is by taking inspiration from resume examples written by other candidates in your industry.

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Average counselor salaries in the US

After you’ve written your resume, make sure you use it to apply for jobs within a fair salary range.

The following table includes information from the most recent US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics report (May 2024). Here are the ten states with the highest salaries for counselors, as well as the national average for your reference when applying for work.