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Mental Health Counselor resume skills and keywords

In 283 Mental Health Counselor job postings from 67 employers analysed on October 23, 2026, the most requested skills are Licensed Clinical Social Worker (69 %), Licensed Professional Counselor (49 %), Communication (47 %), Behavioral health (42 %) and Telehealth (41 %). Of the top 40 skills, 29 are hard skills, tools or certifications and 11 are soft skills.

Download the full list as a CSV or check your own resume against a posting with the free keyword scanner.

Top 40 skills in Mental Health Counselor job postings

Skills requested in 283 Mental Health Counselor job postings, by share of postings
SkillShare of postingsType
Licensed Clinical Social Worker69 %Certification
Licensed Professional Counselor49 %Certification
Communication47 %Soft skill
Behavioral health42 %Hard skill
Telehealth41 %Hard skill
Counseling39 %Hard skill
EHR39 %Tool
Cognitive behavioral therapy37 %Hard skill
Dbt34 %Hard skill
Patient care31 %Hard skill
Compassion30 %Soft skill
Flexibility22 %Soft skill
Clinical Supervision20 %Hard skill
Clinical Documentation19 %Hard skill
Collaboration15 %Soft skill
Bilingual15 %Soft skill
State license14 %Certification
Crisis intervention14 %Hard skill
Treatment planning13 %Hard skill
Case management13 %Hard skill
Trauma-informed care11 %Hard skill
Mentoring11 %Soft skill
Interpersonal skills10 %Soft skill
Patient-Centered Care10 %Hard skill
Leadership9 %Soft skill
Care Coordination9 %Hard skill
Coaching9 %Soft skill
Teletherapy8 %Hard skill
HIPAA8 %Certification
Counseling Psychology8 %Hard skill
Empathy7 %Soft skill
Evidence-Based Practice7 %Hard skill
Clinical Leadership7 %Soft skill
Telehealth Services7 %Hard skill
Coaches7 %Hard skill
Continuous learning7 %Hard skill
Compassionate Care7 %Hard skill
Clinical Judgment6 %Hard skill
Continuous improvement6 %Hard skill
PHP6 %Tool

Hard skills vs soft skills vs tools and certifications

Hard skills (23)

Soft skills (11)

Tools and software (2)

Certifications and licenses (4)

Keyword phrases recruiters use

Multi-word phrases that recur across these mental health counselor postings, with the share of postings that use each one.

treatment plans 40 %therapy sessions 19 %virtual care 18 %expanding access 16 %cbt dbt 14 %care model 13 %private practice 13 %care delivery 13 %case consultations 13 %flexible schedule 12 %quality care 12 %individualized treatment 12 %client care 11 %individual therapy 11 %quality evidence 11 %

How to use this on your resume

Treat the table as a checklist, not a script. Put the skills you genuinely have in your skills section, using the same wording as the posting, and back the top ones with a bullet that shows the result.

Each job posting differs from the average, so compare your resume with the actual ad: paste it into the resume keyword scanner to see which terms you already have and which are missing. The ATS keywords guide explains where to place them so applicant tracking systems read them.

Skip any skill you cannot talk about in an interview; a keyword that falls apart under one question costs more than it gains. For a full layout with these skills in context, see the Mental Health Counselor resume example. Then prepare for the Mental Health Counselor interview questions that test them.

Build a mental health counselor resume with these skills

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Mental Health Counselor resume skills: FAQ

Which skills matter most for a Mental Health Counselor resume?

In 283 Mental Health Counselor job postings analysed on October 23, 2026, the most requested skills were Licensed Clinical Social Worker (69 %), Licensed Professional Counselor (49 %), Communication (47 %), Behavioral health (42 %) and Telehealth (41 %). Lead your skills section with the ones you can back up, and show them in your experience bullets too.

Should I list soft skills on a Mental Health Counselor resume?

Yes, but prove them rather than list them. 11 of the top 40 skills in these postings are soft skills, led by Communication (47 % of postings). Show them through results in your bullets, for example a project you coordinated or a process you explained.

Which tools and certifications do Mental Health Counselor postings ask for?

The tools and certifications named most often were Licensed Clinical Social Worker (69 %), Licensed Professional Counselor (49 %), EHR (39 %), State license (14 %), HIPAA (8 %) and PHP (6 %). List the ones you have exactly as the posting writes them.

Where does this data come from?

From 283 public Mental Health Counselor job postings at 67 employers, collected on October 23, 2026 from Greenhouse (170), Lever (61) and Ashby (52). A skill's share is the number of postings that mention it divided by 283. The data is updated quarterly and can be downloaded as a CSV.

Method and data

Source: 283 public job postings for mental health counselor roles (titles such as Mental Health Therapist, Licensed Mental Health Therapist, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist - Remote and Mental Health Therapist (Part-Time, W-2)) at 67 employers, collected on October 23, 2026 from employer applicant tracking system job boards: Greenhouse 170, Lever 61 and Ashby 52. Employers in the sample include Daybreak Health, SOL Mental Health, BetterHelp, Two Chairs, FamilyWell and Backpack Healthcare. A skill's share is the number of postings that mention it divided by 283. Updated quarterly. Download the data: mental-health-counselor-resume-skills.csv (CC BY 4.0). Browse skills for other roles.