Addictions counselor resume examples from 2026

A resume summary is your opening statement that highlights your strongest skills and top accomplishments. It is your chance to quickly let recruiters know who you are professionally - and why they should hire you for the addictions counselor role.

Step 1: Mention your current job title or the role you're pursuing.

Step 2: Include your years of experience in addictions counselor-related roles. Consider adding relevant company and industry experience as relevant to the job listing.

Step 3: Highlight your greatest accomplishments. Here is your chance to make sure your biggest wins aren't buried in your resume.

Step 4: Again, keep it short. Your goal is to summarize your experience and highlight your accomplishments, not write a paragraph.

These four steps should give you a strong elevator pitch and land you some addictions counselor interviews.

Many resumes are filtered out by hiring software before a human eye ever sees them. A robust Skills section can let recruiters (and bots) know you have the skills to do the job. Here is how to make the most of your skills section:

1. You often need to include the exact keywords from the job description in your resume. Look at the job listing and consider which of the listed skills you have experience with, along with related skills.
2. Include as many relevant hard skills and soft skills as possible from the listing.
3. Use the most up to date and accurate terms. Don't forget to be specific.

These five steps should give you a strong elevator pitch and land you some addictions counselor interviews.

Your employment history is arguably one of the most important parts of your resume. It shows you have experience and foundation in your field to successfully master the addictions counselor position. Here is how to most effectively structure your work experience:

1. List your most recent experience first, followed by earlier roles in reverse chronological order. Employers care about your most recent experience the most.
2. Start with your job title, company name, city, and state on the left. Align dates in month and year format on the right-hand side.
3. Include only recent, relevant jobs.

Your resume is not a list of responsibilities or a job description. Instead, it is your chance to show your accomplishments and show why you're good at what you do.

• Use the What, How, and Why format. Answering these questions turns a bland job description into an effective showcase of your abilities.
• What were your responsibilities or goals?
• How did you accomplish them?
• Why were your results important? (How did it impact your company? Can you quantify the results in numbers? )

Here are great bullet points from addictions counselor resumes:

Here is the best way to format your education section:

• Display your highest degree first.
• If you graduated over 5 years ago, put this section at the bottom of your resume. If you lack relevant work experience, the education section should go to the top.
• If you have a bachelor's or master's degree, do not list your high school education.
• If your graduation year is more than 15-20 years ago, it's better not to include dates in this section.

Here are some examples of good education entries for resumes:

If you have any additional certifications, add them to the certification section.

To list, use the full name of the certification and the organization that issued it, along with the date of achievement.

If you have any of these certifications, be sure to include them on your addictions counselor resume:

1. Master Addictions Counselor
2. Pastoral Counseling Certification
3. Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADC)
4. Certified Professional Counselor
5. Certified Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC)
6. Master Addiction Counselor (MAC)
7. Certified Chemical Dependency Counselor
8. Certified Addiction Specialist (CAS)
9. National Certified Counselor (NCC)
10. Professional Level Drug, Alcohol & Addiction Counselor Certification (DAACC)