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Counsellor CV example

A counselling service reads your CV for your training and membership first, then who you see, how many and how you work. Give your diploma and accreditation, your caseload, the approaches you use and your supervision.

This example is an NHS talking therapies counsellor applying for a senior post.

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Counsellor CV example: fictional example, page 1. Full text is available below.
Read the example as text
Nadia Begum
Counsellor
Nottingham · 07700 900273 · [email protected] · MBACP (Accred)

Profile

Counsellor with six years since qualifying, an accredited member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, working in an NHS talking therapies service. Sees about 22 adults a week with depression, anxiety and bereavement, in person, by video and by phone. Works person-centred and integrative, and has run a bereavement group since 2024. Looking for a senior counsellor post.

Experience

Counsellor, Step 3, Trent Valley Talking Therapies (NHS), Nottingham 2022–present

See about 22 adults a week for 8 to 12 sessions each, in person, by video and by phone.

Agree goals and the focus of sessions with each client at assessment, and review them with PHQ-9 and GAD-7 every session.

Work with depression, anxiety, bereavement and relationship difficulties, using person-centred and integrative counselling.

Keep confidential notes in IAPTus and write discharge letters to GPs.

Raise safeguarding concerns through the service’s procedure and record every risk assessment.

Run an 8-week bereavement group for up to 10 people, twice a year since 2024.

Volunteer, then Sessional Counsellor, Meadowlands Bereavement Service (charity), Nottingham 2018–2022

Counselled bereaved adults on placement during training, then as a paid sessional counsellor.

Qualifications

Level 5 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling, Trentvale College 2018–2020

Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Skills, Trentvale College 2017–2018

BSc (Hons) Psychology, 2:1, Charnwood University 2012–2015

Skills

Person-centred and integrative counselling

Assessment, risk assessment and outcome measures

Bereavement and group work

Online and phone counselling

Confidential notes and GP letters

Monthly clinical supervision

Additional information

Accredited member of the BACP since 2023. Monthly clinical supervision and personal therapy during training. Enhanced DBS check on the Update Service.

Fictional example for a counsellor. Every person and employer in it is invented. Replace every detail with your own.

What NHS talking therapies, charities, schools and practices look for, and where this CV shows it

The job asks you toWhere this CV shows it
Discuss and agree what to cover in sessionsGoals and focus agreed with each client at assessment
Build trust with a client in person, online or over the phoneAbout 22 adults a week, in person, by video and by phone
Listen carefully, ask questions and check understanding of the issuesPerson-centred and integrative counselling, reviewed every session
Help your client to talk about their feelings, see things more clearly and find ways to copeDepression, anxiety, bereavement and relationship difficulties
Keep confidential recordsConfidential notes in IAPTus; discharge letters to GPs

The left column follows the National Careers Service job profile for a counsellor.

Average pay: £25,000 a year for a starter and £48,000 for an experienced counsellor, working 35 to 40 hours a week (National Careers Service, checked 17 October 2026).

Facts checked against National Careers Service: Counsellor on .

Skills to list for this job

The skills the National Careers Service lists for a counsellor, in CV wording. Put down only the ones you can show, each with where you used it.

  • Counselling: active listening and a non-judgemental approach
  • Psychology
  • Understanding people’s reactions
  • Clear spoken communication
  • Customer service
  • Patient and calm in stressful situations
  • Sensitivity and understanding
  • Taking feedback and working well under pressure
  • Competent with computers and everyday software
Choose them in the editor

From the National Careers Service profile, checked 17 October 2026.

A profile if you are starting out

This CV's profile is written for someone with experience. Here is the same job at the other level: copy it, or open it in the editor with this CV and write over it.

Newly qualified counsellor with a Level 5 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling and 100 supervised placement hours with a young people’s charity, working towards BACP accreditation. Person-centred, with online and phone sessions. Looking for a first counselling post in a service or school.
Use in the editor
Inside this example
  • Profile: 60 words here
  • Experience: 124 words here
  • Qualifications: 25 words here
  • Skills: 26 words here
  • Additional information: 22 words here

How to write yours

01

Training and membership first

Put your diploma and membership where a service sees them first, with the year you were accredited.

02

Describe your caseload

Who you see, how many a week, for how many sessions and in what way tells a service whether you fit.

03

Name your approach

Say how you work, such as person-centred or integrative, not only “talking therapy”.

04

Show supervision

Regular clinical supervision is part of safe practice; say how often you have it.

Questions about a counsellor CV

Which counselling qualifications should I list?

After an introduction to counselling course, you can do further training such as the Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Skills, the Level 4 Diploma in Counselling Skills and Theory and the Level 5 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling (National Careers Service). List each with the college and the years, newest first.

How do I show my counselling placement?

You could do a diploma, degree or postgraduate course in counselling or psychotherapy, and should look for one that includes practical skills training and supervised work placements (National Careers Service). Give your placement as an entry under Experience.

Where do I put BACP membership?

You could become a member of an organisation listed on the Professional Standards Authority’s counselling register; this may be helpful when looking for work, and for many jobs it is essential (National Careers Service). Put it in your contact lines.

Do counsellors need a DBS check?

You’ll need to pass enhanced background checks, as you may work with children and vulnerable adults (National Careers Service). Say that yours is current under Additional information.

Does volunteering count on a counsellor CV?

Paid or unpaid work experience in counselling is useful, counselling is often a second career, and life experience is highly valued (National Careers Service). Give volunteering its own entry, and an earlier career one line.

Minimal and one page: short lines and plenty of space, so a service finds your training, caseload and supervision at a glance. For an online form, switch to Plain.

Guides for this CV

NHS supporting information Turning duties into results Volunteering as experience How to write a cover letter

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