Therapist Resume Examples & Template (LPC, LMFT, LCSW, New Graduate)

Quick answer: A strong therapist resume shows your license, your clinical approach, the populations you serve, and the outcomes you help clients reach. Put your license (for example, LPC, LMHC, LMFT, LCSW, or psychologist) and state near the top, along with your NPI if you bill insurance. Write a short summary naming your setting, specialties, and modalities (CBT, DBT, EMDR, ACT, family systems). In your experience bullets, include caseload size, sessions per week, populations, group programs, measurable outcomes (such as PHQ-9 or GAD-7 improvements), retention, and documentation accuracy, while never sharing identifying client details. Keep it to one or two pages in a clean, reverse-chronological format.

Therapists spend all day helping people tell their stories clearly. Then they sit down to write their own resume and suddenly find themselves writing "provided therapy to clients," which is a bit like a chef describing their job as "made food."

Clinical directors and group practice owners want to know who you work with, how you work, and what changes for your clients. Your resume can show all of that without breaking confidentiality.

This guide covers how to format a therapist resume, the licenses, modalities, and skills to include, how to write outcome-focused bullet points, examples for licensed and pre-licensed therapists, and a free template.

---

What Employers Look For in a Therapist

• The right license (or license-eligible status) for the role and state
• Clinical fit: populations, diagnoses, and settings that match their clients
• Modalities: evidence-based approaches like CBT, DBT, EMDR, or family systems
• Caseload capacity: how many clients you can see and document well
• Outcomes: measurable symptom improvement, retention, and engagement
• Documentation and compliance: timely notes, treatment plans, and insurance requirements
• Telehealth experience, which many practices now expect

---

Common Therapist Licenses and Titles

Titles vary by state, so use your exact credential:

• LPC / LPCC / LMHC / LCPC: licensed professional or mental health counselor
• LMFT: licensed marriage and family therapist
• LCSW / LICSW: licensed clinical social worker
• Psychologist (PhD or PsyD): licensed psychologist
• Associate or provisional licenses: for example, LPC-Associate, AMFT, LMSW, ACSW, or "pre-licensed" clinicians gaining supervised hours
• Specialty therapists: art therapists (ATR-BC), music therapists (MT-BC), play therapists (RPT), and addiction counselors (LADC, CADC)

For more on licensure paths, see how to become a therapist.

---

How to Format a Therapist Resume

• Format: reverse-chronological. New graduates can lead with education and practicum or internship experience
• Length: one page for early-career clinicians; two pages for experienced therapists, supervisors, and those with publications or trainings
• Layout: single column, standard headings, no graphics
• Font: Calibri, Garamond, or Arial at 10–12 pt
• File: PDF unless the employer asks for Word
• Confidentiality: never include client names, identifying details, or specific case stories

---

What to Include on a Therapist Resume

1. Header

Name with credentials (for example, Rachel Kim, MA, LPC), phone, email, city and state, LinkedIn, and practice website if relevant.

2. Summary

3. Licenses and certifications

License type, state, license number (optional), expiration date, and NPI if you bill insurance.

4. Clinical experience

Setting, populations, caseload, modalities, and outcomes.

5. Education

Master's or doctoral degree, program accreditation (CACREP, COAMFTE, CSWE, APA) if relevant, and practicum or internship sites.

6. Skills and modalities

Therapeutic approaches, assessments, documentation, and technology.

7. Optional sections

Specialized trainings, supervision experience, presentations, publications, and languages. Bilingual therapists are in high demand. See how to list languages on a resume.

---

Therapist Skills and Modalities for Your Resume

Therapeutic approaches

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
• EMDR
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
• Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT)
• Motivational Interviewing
• Solution-Focused Brief Therapy
• Family systems and structural family therapy
• Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) or Gottman Method for couples
• Play therapy
• Psychodynamic therapy
• Mindfulness-based approaches

Clinical skills

• Biopsychosocial assessments and diagnosis (DSM-5-TR)
• Treatment planning
• Crisis intervention and safety planning
• Suicide risk assessment (for example, C-SSRS)
• Measurement-based care (PHQ-9, GAD-7, PCL-5)
• Group facilitation
• Case management and care coordination
• Clinical supervision

Documentation and technology

• EHRs: SimplePractice, TherapyNotes, TheraNest, Epic, Netsmart
• Telehealth platforms
• Insurance documentation and prior authorizations
• HIPAA compliance

Soft skills

• Empathy and rapport building
• Active listening
• Cultural humility
• Boundaries and ethics
• Collaboration with psychiatrists, physicians, and schools

See social worker skills for overlapping clinical skills.

---

How to Write Therapist Bullet Points (Without Breaking Confidentiality)

Use aggregate numbers, not individual stories. The formula: action + population or setting + approach + result.

Weak: "Provided individual therapy to clients."

Strong: "Provide individual CBT and EMDR therapy to a caseload of 28 adults with anxiety and PTSD, with average PCL-5 scores dropping 35% over 16 sessions."

Metrics for therapist resumes

• Caseload size and sessions per week
• Populations and age ranges served
• Symptom improvement on standardized measures (PHQ-9, GAD-7, PCL-5)
• Client retention and treatment completion rates
• No-show or cancellation rate improvements
• Groups run and attendance
• Documentation timeliness (for example, notes completed within 24 hours)
• Clinicians supervised or trained
• Programs launched

Therapist bullet point examples

• Maintain a caseload of 28 adult clients, providing 25–30 individual sessions per week in person and via telehealth
• Use measurement-based care with PHQ-9 and GAD-7; clients averaged a 40% symptom reduction over 12 weeks
• Achieved a 90% client retention rate through collaborative goal setting and regular progress reviews
• Launched a weekly DBT skills group for 10 adolescents, with 85% completing the 24-week program
• Reduced practice no-show rate from 18% to 9% by introducing reminder texts and a telehealth option
• Completed 100% of progress notes within 24 hours in SimplePractice, with zero insurance audit findings
• Conducted 200+ biopsychosocial assessments and crisis evaluations in a community mental health setting
• Supervised 4 associate-level clinicians toward licensure

---

Therapist Resume Examples

New graduate / pre-licensed therapist

See graduate student CV if you're also applying for academic or research roles.

Licensed professional counselor (outpatient / private practice)

Licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT)

Licensed clinical social worker (LCSW)

See our social worker resume for more social work examples.

---

Free Therapist Resume Template

---

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I put on a therapist resume?

Your license and state, a summary with populations and modalities, clinical experience with caseload and outcomes, education, certifications and trainings, EHR and telehealth skills, and languages.

How do I describe therapy experience without breaking confidentiality?

Use aggregate numbers and general descriptions: caseload size, populations, modalities, and average outcomes. Never include names, identifying details, or specific client stories.

Should I include my license number on my resume?

It's optional. Many therapists list license type and state, and provide the number on applications or when credentialing. Include your NPI if the role involves insurance billing.

How do I write a therapist resume as a new graduate?

Lead with your degree, practicum and internship hours, supervised caseload, modalities you've trained in, and your associate or provisional license status.

How long should a therapist resume be?

One page for new graduates and early-career therapists. Two pages are fine for experienced clinicians, supervisors, and those with trainings, presentations, or publications.

---

Build Your Therapist Resume

Our Resume Builder helps you organize your licenses, modalities, and outcomes into a clean, professional resume, so you can spend less time on paperwork and more time with clients.