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Primary therapist skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Telvis Rich,

Dr. Benjamin Jeppsen

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical primary therapist skills. We ranked the top skills for primary therapists based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 16.6% of primary therapist resumes contained patients as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a primary therapist needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 primary therapist skills for your resume and career

1. Patients

Here's how primary therapists use patients:

Perform crisis intervention, including management of difficult or resistant patients, utilizing clinically appropriate accepted techniques and methods.
Provided group psychotherapy and psycho-educational services to culturally diverse adult and adolescent patients in a partial hospital program.

3. Group Therapy Sessions

Here's how primary therapists use group therapy sessions:

Facilitate group therapy sessions providing psycho-education and therapeutic activities according to DMH Day Treatment Intensive requirements.
Facilitated group therapy sessions for individuals with problems associated with drug and alcohol addiction.

4. Eating Disorders

Here's how primary therapists use eating disorders:

Develop and deliver community outreach services such as educational presentations on various aspects of eating disorders.
Conducted cognitive-behavioral therapy for female children and adolescents with eating disorders in an intensive inpatient setting.

5. Patient Care

Patient care entails the diagnosis, recovery, and control of sickness as well as the maintenance of physical and emotional well-being through the use of healthcare providers' services. Patient care is described as services provided to patients by health practitioners or non-professionals under guidance.

Here's how primary therapists use patient care:

Collaborate with key stakeholders in coordinating patient care including schools, case management organizations, and other relevant entities.
Participate in mandatory weekly clinical and interdisciplinary staff meetings to discuss patient care and all aspects of treatment.

6. Crisis Intervention

Here's how primary therapists use crisis intervention:

Performed crisis intervention, conducted family meetings, performed intakes and assessments, and completed clinical and administrative documentation.
Provided crisis intervention, which may have included psychiatric consultations with staff psychiatrist, arranging hospitalizations and/or family interventions.

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7. Treatment Plan Reviews

Here's how primary therapists use treatment plan reviews:

Document intakes, weekly progress notes, treatment plans and treatment plan reviews, family and group notes.
Created initial and master treatment plans, treatment plan reviews, and discharge summaries for each client.

8. Discharge Planning

Here's how primary therapists use discharge planning:

Rendered individual and group therapy services, clinical case management, after-care recommendations and discharge planning.
Led discharge planning with the multidisciplinary care team and facilitated transitions to community resources.

9. Mental Health Issues

Here's how primary therapists use mental health issues:

Participated in numerous public speaking engagements to promote community awareness of mental health issues.
Conduct individual therapy sessions with clients dealing with addiction and mental health issues in a dual diagnosis residential treatment setting.

10. Substance Abuse Issues

Here's how primary therapists use substance abuse issues:

Facilitated individual and group sessions to assist clients with their mental health and substance abuse issues.
Provide outpatient therapy to clients with various mental health, behavioral and substance abuse issues.

11. Clinical Services

Here's how primary therapists use clinical services:

Provided direct clinical services, and developed and implemented behavioral programs for 8-bed Residential Cottage for severely disturbed children ages 6-12.
Engage patient/family in planning clinical service programs when possible, referring patients/family to appropriate social service agency when applicable.

12. Family Therapy Sessions

Here's how primary therapists use family therapy sessions:

Facilitate individual, group and family therapy sessions in accordance with license requirements.
Provide individual and family therapy sessions with adolescents and their caregivers.

13. Discharge Summaries

Here's how primary therapists use discharge summaries:

Utilized KIPU systems for documentation of progress notes, clinical interventions and discharge summaries.
Preformed initial assessments, developed treatment plans, quarterly reports and discharge summaries.

14. Mental Illness

Here's how primary therapists use mental illness:

Provided psychotherapy for individuals with severe and persistent mental illness and/or developmental disabilities, substance abuse, and on parole.
Provided individual and group psychotherapy to adults suffering from severe mental illness in long-term community-based psychiatric treatment center.

15. Individual Therapy Sessions

Here's how primary therapists use individual therapy sessions:

Conduct daily group psychotherapy and individual therapy sessions.
Lead family and individual therapy sessions.

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What skills help Primary Therapists find jobs?

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What skills stand out on primary therapist resumes?

Dr. Telvis Rich

Associate Professor, Long Island University-Brooklyn

For a 21st century professional Social Worker, the following skills are essential to highlight on the resume: details of the roles, responsibilities and tasks completed during the bachelor level and/or master level Social Work practicum (internship), the interprofessional skills of working with diverse clients, communities, supervisors and colleagues during the practicum, and a clear vision of the population the applicant seeks to serve in an agency or organization. In short, today's workplace is very competitive; thus, a concise list of skills that highlight professionalism, diversity, service, competency in a practice area, and respect for others are truly essential. These required skills align to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics and employers will seek to see such on a well written resume. Further, a quality cover letter outlining the skills will enhance the resume in a competitive and ever changing Social Work marketplace.

What hard/technical skills are most important for primary therapists?

Dr. Benjamin Jeppsen

Associate Professor, Augustana University

Obviously, mastering the technology used in teletherapy and virtual counseling is essential. Further, the use of computer programs for therapy notes, documentation, and diagnosis is also important. Assessment and psychometric abilities are also important as psychotherapy research has been very clear about the important role of outcome measurement and objective assessment in psychotherapy. When prospective clinicians demonstrate the ability to work with numbers (and the software needed to make them useful), they show an openness to the objective assessment of their work.

What soft skills should all primary therapists possess?

Treniece Lewis Harris Ph.D.

Associate Professor of the Practice, Program Director, Master's Program in Mental Health Counseling, Boston College

-compassion

-active listening

-perspective-taking

-open-mindedness and respect for differences

-humility

-curiosity and critical observation

-problem recognition and analytical thinking

-creativity and flexibility

-presentation skills

What primary therapist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Charles Westerberg Ph.D.

Brannon-Ballard Professor of Sociology, Beloit College

For students taking a gap year, I think they should focus on building up their social capital networks. They should get as much exposure and face time as possible in fields that will give them access to people who can vouch for them. This might not be precisely the sort of position they are looking for, but it should provide them with access to relatable skills and contacts. To do this, students should call and email relentlessly. You never know when you will get a break. Passivity is not an excellent way to create gaps for yourself.

What type of skills will young primary therapists need?

Dr. Eva Moya Ph.D.

Professor, The University of Texas

Graduates of the social work profession need to be able to work with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and mobilize communities to bring about social, economic, political, or environmental change, in addition to being involved in social policy development.

Skills in research, to study social issues, with the intention of developing social policy or micro-level approaches to practice to improve people's lives, and training in relation to multiculturalism, cultural competence, cultural humility practice is vital.

Key skills include:
-Collaboration
-Critical thinking
-Ethics in evidence based-practice
-Assessment, intervention, and evaluation
-Social work competencies to inform behaviors.
-Administration and management
-Community practice
-Policy practice

What technical skills for a primary therapist stand out to employers?

Dr. Chantrelle Varnado-Johnson

Assistant Professor & Coordinator of School Counseling Program, Nicholls State University

In addition, recent graduates will need to be familiarized with using telehealth platforms due to more remote learning needs. Plus, recent graduates will need to familiarize themselves with their basic facilitative skills to establish rapport quickly to have brief sessions. Also, I would recommend students receive competency-based credentials and become licensed in at least one additional state. Lastly, I would recommend students familiarize themselves with crisis intervention and trauma counseling.

In sum, graduates have to be aware of how their roles may shift due to job displacement, furloughs, and restructuring. Due to new challenges presented in the COVID-19 pandemic, graduates have to be prepared to address the possibility of being faced with high caseloads, secondary traumatization, role conflict/ambiguity, and tension in the workplace. As a precautionary measure, neophytes should adopt a holistic self-care regimen and professional network to ameliorate the mental health condition.

Do you want to know more?

List of primary therapist skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a primary therapist resume and required skills for a primary therapist to have include:

Patients
Social Work
Group Therapy Sessions
Eating Disorders
Patient Care
Crisis Intervention
Treatment Plan Reviews
Discharge Planning
Mental Health Issues
Substance Abuse Issues
Clinical Services
Family Therapy Sessions
Discharge Summaries
Mental Illness
Individual Therapy Sessions
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Community Resources

Relapse Prevention
Therapy Counseling
Clinical Supervision
Chemical Dependency
Therapeutic Interventions
PHP
Therapeutic Services
Substance USE Disorders
EMDR
Dual Diagnosis
Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Client Care
Utilization Review
Mental Health Disorders
Community Agencies
Intake Assessments
Bio-Psychosocial Assessments

ASAM
Crisis Management
Residential Treatment Facility
Clinical Documentation
Aftercare Planning
Clinical Assessments
PTSD
Substance Abuse Disorders
Art Therapy
Anger Management
Personality Disorders
DCF
Adult Clients
Sexual Abuse
Crisis Situations

Updated January 8, 2025

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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