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Mental health technician skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted experts
Janice Nash,
Amy Bruce
Mental health technician example skills
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical mental health technician skills. We ranked the top skills for mental health technicians based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 25.7% of mental health technician resumes contained patients as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a mental health technician needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 mental health technician skills for your resume and career

1. Patients

Here's how mental health technicians use patients:
  • Preformed intake interviews, psychological and personality testing, and biofeedback therapy on clinic patients.
  • Drafted and directed educational therapy groups, instilling healthy coping skills for high-acuity patients.

2. Vital Signs

Vital signs are a set of values indicating different body systems' performance. They are measurements of the body's most basic functions. The four major vital signs used in medicine to assess a patient are body temperature, pulse rate, respiration rate, and blood pressure.

Here's how mental health technicians use vital signs:
  • Recorded patient vital signs and other indicated specimens or measures and documented observations.
  • Documented vital signs and any behavioral changes

3. CPR

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR is a medical procedure that involves chest compression to help a patient breathe. This artificial ventilation helps in keeping the brain function in place and regulates blood throughout the body. CPR is a lifesaving procedure that is used in emergencies.

Here's how mental health technicians use cpr:
  • Performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on four occasions during attempted suicides.
  • Obtained State Of Kansas Mental Health Technician Certification Obtained CPR Certification

4. Social Work

Here's how mental health technicians use social work:
  • Assisted to court appearances and lawyer/family meetings and assisted Social Workers and Physicians concerning patient activity.
  • Collaborate with social workers and therapists to provide safety and operational standards for patients

5. Crisis Intervention

Here's how mental health technicians use crisis intervention:
  • Implemented behavioral and crisis intervention, behavior management and modification as directed by the individual treatment plan and unit program guidelines.
  • Provide one-on-one interventions, including crisis intervention, behavior management support, and emotional support in an academic setting.

6. Patient Safety

Here's how mental health technicians use patient safety:
  • Maintain accurate documentation of progress, facilitate one to one communication while maintaining hospital policy and patient safety.
  • Supplied assistance with application of chemical and physical restraints as necessary to ensure patient safety and treatment.

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7. Direct Patient Care

Here's how mental health technicians use direct patient care:
  • Provided direct patient care and facilitated a therapeutic milieu for adult and adolescent in-patients and their families.
  • Provided direct patient care and ongoing monitoring of psychiatric inpatients under direct supervision of Registered Nurse.

8. Therapeutic Milieu

Here's how mental health technicians use therapeutic milieu:
  • Provided appropriate therapeutic milieu to children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbances, mental disorders and substance abuse disorders.
  • Aided staff when necessary and delegated appropriately to foster a therapeutic milieu for those living within the facility.

9. Substance Abuse

Here's how mental health technicians use substance abuse:
  • Supervised children and adolescents with behavioral, substance abuse, and mental health diagnoses in a residential behavioral health/medical setting.
  • Counseled or provided similar diagnostic or therapeutic services to clients with substance abuse problems and co-occurring mental health disorders.

10. Phone Calls

Phone calls are a wireless or wired connection made over a telephone or a mobile phone between two people. Two parties are involved in a phone call, the caller and the receiver. A caller dials the number of the one he wants to call, and the recipient hears a bell or a tune to which he picks up the call. The call establishes a connection between them through which they can communicate. The voice is converted into signals and is transmitted through wired or wireless technology.

Here's how mental health technicians use phone calls:
  • Completed administrative tasks such as entering orders into computer, answering telephone calls, and maintaining medical and facility information.
  • Answered inbound phone calls and served in reception/clerical capacities including data entry.

11. Mental Illness

Here's how mental health technicians use mental illness:
  • Interacted with people who have mental illness and/or developmental disabilities to assist with structured educational, vocational, and activity programs.
  • Aided patients suffering from mental illness by communicating, coordinating focus groups, and proactively preventing verbal and physical altercations.

12. Therapeutic Environment

Here's how mental health technicians use therapeutic environment:
  • Applied behavior management techniques designed to encourage appropriate social behaviors while assisting in the provision of a safe and therapeutic environment.
  • Provided psychiatric care, counseling youths, adults and geriatrics in a clinical therapeutic environment for suicidal and depressed individuals.

13. CPI

CPI Consumer Price Index is a monthly comprehensive measurement of the prices of goods and services representing the economy's consumption expenditure. This presents the inflation or rising of prices and deflation or falling prices. CPI keeps track of the costs of around 700 goods and services utilized by a typical household, and CPI shows how their price change each month. The changes in CPI are used to assess price changes related to the cost of living.

Here's how mental health technicians use cpi:
  • Trained and certified CPI (Crisis Prevention Intervention) Trained and certified in properly assisting hospital in OSHA compliance and codes.
  • Trained in Crisis Prevention Interventions (CPI) and assisted with crises that arose on the unit, including restraints.

14. Behavioral Issues

Behavioral issues are the tendencies of individuals displaying unpleasant behavior as a result of sickness or addiction.

Here's how mental health technicians use behavioral issues:
  • Monitored adolescence with mental disturbances and behavioral issues; applied non-violent intervention techniques to prevent physical outbreaks among group home members.
  • Assisted mentally ill patients at psychiatric hospital, including co-facilitating group activities, redirecting behavioral issues, and providing emotional support

15. Blood Pressure

Here's how mental health technicians use blood pressure:
  • Assisted nursing staff with routine procedures, such as taking and recording blood pressure, temperature, pulse and respiration rate.
  • Produced and documented vital signs (blood pressures, height, and weight) for the nursing and other medical staff.
top-skills

What skills help Mental Health Technicians find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on mental health technician resumes?

Janice NashJanice Nash LinkedIn profile

Professor, Director of the Undergraduate Nursing Program, Carlow University

Graduates who had internships or experience working in healthcare in addition to the required clinical courses are at an advantage. An applicant who highlights their ability to work collaboratively as part of a team and problem-solve will be noticed.

What mental health technician skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Amy BruceAmy Bruce LinkedIn profile

Chair, Program Director, University of Charleston

If a gap year is taken in nursing school, the student should try to work as a Certified Nurse Assistant or Nurse Extern. This will keep them in the field and keep their experiences and current knowledge fresh until he or she can return to school.

What type of skills will young mental health technicians need?

Lyndal Khaw Ph.D.Lyndal Khaw Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Associate Professor and Department Chair, Montclair State University

Most of our graduates in the field of Family Science and Human Development are in this field because they want to help professions that work with children, individuals, and families. Thus, there are several skills they should have when they graduate and enter the workforce. First, they need to have excellent interpersonal and communication skills. If you want to work with people, that is an absolute given.

Second, students should demonstrate their ability to adapt to new challenges and changes, including technology skills. When working with children and families, the natural ebbs and flows of family life, across the life course, necessitate flexible professionals and who can still be useful under changing circumstances. Third, skills make you stand out in working with people, like conflict management and leadership skills. Employers want to see that graduates are not only "book smart" but have the experience to use these skills when needed on the job.
Do you want to know more?
Read more about what experts have to say about mental health technician

List of mental health technician skills to add to your resume

Mental health technician skills

The most important skills for a mental health technician resume and required skills for a mental health technician to have include:

  • Patients
  • Vital Signs
  • CPR
  • Social Work
  • Crisis Intervention
  • Patient Safety
  • Direct Patient Care
  • Therapeutic Milieu
  • Substance Abuse
  • Phone Calls
  • Mental Illness
  • Therapeutic Environment
  • CPI
  • Behavioral Issues
  • Blood Pressure
  • Direct Supervision
  • Therapeutic Relationships
  • Compassion
  • Rehabilitation
  • Mental Health Professionals
  • Restraints
  • MHT
  • Safety Checks
  • Role Model
  • Patient Behavior
  • ADL
  • Mental Health
  • Crisis Management
  • Crisis Situations
  • Group Therapy Sessions
  • Urinals
  • Developmental Disabilities
  • Crisis Intervention Training
  • Anger Management
  • EKG
  • Continuous Patient Care
  • Emotional Support
  • Medical Appointments
  • Patient Participation
  • Bedpans
  • Minute Checks
  • Medication Administration
  • Incident Reports
  • Patient Charts
  • Provides Supervision
  • Eating Disorders
  • Client Behavior
  • Provide Emotional Support

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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