Home Psychotherapist Resume template
Psychotherapist resume template
A clean starting structure with example content grounded in what psychotherapists actually do day to day, not generic filler. Download and replace the bracketed placeholders with your own details.
Which resume format should you use?
Reverse chronological
You have a steady work history. This is the format almost every recruiter and ATS expects by default.
Functional
You're changing fields or have gaps in your employment. Leads with skills rather than a job-by-job timeline.
Combination
You're early career or have worked consistently but for only a few employers. Blends a skills summary with a shorter chronological history.
This template uses the reverse chronological format: the one most psychotherapists should default to, since most Australian recruiters and ATS software expect it.
Professional summary
Accredited psychotherapist working with adults and young people on persistent anxiety, depression, trauma and relationship difficulties. Trained in psychodynamic and cognitive behavioural approaches, with a strong grounding in risk assessment, treatment planning and confidential record keeping. Works collaboratively with GPs, psychiatrists and community services, and maintains professional standing through peak body membership and regular clinical supervision.
Key skills
- Clinical assessment and treatment planning across psychodynamic, cognitive behavioural and systemic modalities
- Delivering structured talking therapy over short and long-term episode of care
- Risk assessment, safety planning and escalation to crisis services
- Casework and client support, including referrals to GPs, psychiatry and community programs
- Confidential case notes and session records that meet privacy and professional obligations
- Practice management software including Cliniko, Halaxy and PowerDiary
- Telehealth delivery via Zoom and secure video platforms
- Medicare Online claiming and NDIS documentation where clients are eligible
- Empathy and interpersonal care with clients in distress
- Written communication for reports, referral letters and case reviews
- Attention to detail in notes, consent and file management
- Problem solving under pressure and sound clinical judgement
Experience: example bullet points
- Assessed new clients' psychological history, current concerns and risk factors, then agreed treatment goals and a written plan before the second session
- Carried a caseload of around 30 clients across a mix of short-term and open-ended therapy, adjusting the modality as each client's needs shifted
- Introduced routine outcome measures at intake, mid-treatment and discharge, which gave clients a clearer view of change and helped flag stalled cases earlier
- Built referral relationships with local GPs and a community psychiatry service, reducing the time clients waited between a first appointment and a specialist review
- Maintained confidential case notes in Cliniko within a day of each session so handover notes for colleagues were always current
- Delivered telehealth sessions via Zoom to clients in regional areas who could not access face-to-face therapy
- Escalated clients with escalating risk to crisis and after-hours services following the practice's safety protocol, and documented each step
- Attended fortnightly clinical supervision and brought complex cases for review, which sharpened my formulation and treatment planning over time
Education
Master of Counselling and Psychotherapy, or a Graduate Diploma in Psychotherapy following an undergraduate degree in psychology, counselling or a related field, plus supervised clinical practice hours toward registration with a peak body such as PACFA or the ACA.
Keywords an ATS is likely to scan for
Applicant tracking systems match your resume against terms in the job ad before a person ever sees it. Only include the ones that actually apply to your experience, but if a term below matches something you've done, use the same wording the job ad uses.
- psychotherapist
- PACFA
- ACA
- registered psychotherapist
- clinical assessment
- treatment planning
- cognitive behavioural therapy
- psychodynamic therapy
- systemic therapy
- trauma-informed practice
- risk assessment
- safety planning
- case notes
- confidentiality
- privacy legislation
- mandatory reporting
- clinical supervision
- telehealth
- employee assistance program
- EAP
- NDIS
- Medicare Online claiming
- Cliniko
- Halaxy
- PowerDiary
- PHQ-9
- GAD-7
- K10
- referral pathways
- mental health
- Working with Children Check
- National Police Check
- professional indemnity insurance
Getting past ATS screening
- Match the specific skills, certifications and terms used in the job ad, not just your own wording for the same thing.
- Keep formatting simple: no tables, text boxes, columns, headers/footers or graphics. Parsers frequently drop content placed in these.
- Submit as .docx or PDF unless the job ad specifies otherwise.
- Use standard section headings (Experience, Education, Skills) rather than creative alternatives.
- List your core skills and technical competencies in their own section so a keyword scan can find them instantly.
This is a starting point, not a guarantee of interviews. Tailor every bullet point to your own real experience and the specific job ad.