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Program counselor skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted experts
Dr. Steven Toepfer Ph.D.,
Treniece Lewis Harris Ph.D.
Program counselor example skills
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical program counselor skills. We ranked the top skills for program counselors based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 11.3% of program counselor resumes contained developmental disabilities as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a program counselor needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 program counselor skills for your resume and career

1. Developmental Disabilities

Here's how program counselors use developmental disabilities:
  • General Job Description: Responsible for assisting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities at a vocational and skills advancement center.
  • Support adults with other developmental disabilities to learn life skills in a motivating, personalized, and professional environment.

2. Patients

Here's how program counselors use patients:
  • Provided health education to patients and families; trained and supervised Physician assistant's residents engaged in specific clinical activities.
  • Provided individual, group and family therapy for caseload of approximately 20 patients diagnosed with severe mental illness.

3. Community Integration

Community integration pertains to the different procedures that help patients integrate and become well-functioning members of a community.

Here's how program counselors use community integration:
  • Provide Care to individuals with developmental/physical disabilities* Pass medications* Provide community integration
  • Program planning, overall plan of service, community integration, incidental teaching and recreational activities including Special Olympics.

4. 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 program counselors use cpr:
  • Maintain training in CPR, First Aid, Rule 40, OSHA, Vulnerable Adults and medical equipment.
  • Certified in First Aid, CPR, and AED for children and adults by American Red Cross.

5. Social Work

Here's how program counselors use social work:
  • Communicate on a daily basis to the families, doctors, nurses, social workers of residents.
  • Promoted from Operations Counselor to Program Counselor in six months with no prior social work experience.

6. Medication Administration

Here's how program counselors use medication administration:
  • Support residents with daily activities that may include medication administration.
  • Experienced in documentation of activities and medication administration.

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7. Crisis Intervention

Here's how program counselors use crisis intervention:
  • Provided supportive psychotherapy, crisis intervention, and case management for veterans with persistent mental illness.
  • Conducted post-crisis intervention planning through brief intensive individual and family counseling directly after a psychiatric hospitalization discharge

8. Substance Abuse

Here's how program counselors use substance abuse:
  • Provided residential counseling and case management for adolescent girls referred by Juvenile Justice for behavioral and substance abuse problems.
  • Maintained current substance abuse/dependency knowledge while adhering to all State and Federal regulations for methadone maintained clients.

9. Behavioral Interventions

Here's how program counselors use behavioral interventions:
  • Provided supervision, behavioral intervention and employment assistance to brain injury clients.
  • Carry out behavioral interventions and provide activity of daily living assistance.

10. Behavioral Issues

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

Here's how program counselors use behavioral issues:
  • Report any misconduct or behavioral issues
  • Document in resident files and report all incidents or behavioral issues to shift supervisor and program manager.

11. Compassion

Here's how program counselors use compassion:
  • Handle emotional situations with compassion and maturity.
  • Show compassion to the clients by engaging them in numerous community activities so they do not feel marginalized in the society.

12. Direct Care

Direct care is the act of identifying people with special needs and offering the necessary care for them.

Here's how program counselors use direct care:
  • Provide direct care for individuals with developmental behavioral health and/or physical disabilities including mental illness.
  • Provided direct care to clients and completed documentation of behavior modification programs.

13. Physical Disabilities

Here's how program counselors use physical disabilities:
  • Assisted consumers with moderate to severe developmental and physical disabilities with daily living skills.
  • Provide direct overnight care for individuals with behavioral, developmental, and physical disabilities.

14. Relapse Prevention

Relapse prevention is a therapy, derived by Marlatt and Donovan in 2005, that targets the cognitive behavior of participants. The therapy is conducted to prevent relapses in patients, by helping them understand and predict those circumstances that trigger a relapse. The therapy facilitates people in developing behavioral strategies, also known as relapse prevention plan, which deals with relapse-oriented situations in advance.

Here's how program counselors use relapse prevention:
  • Completed certification requirements/training for Relapse Prevention Therapy to provide RPT services to clients who struggle with relapse in recovery.
  • Provide appropriate resource and referral information related to discharge, aftercare and relapse prevention planning.

15. Discharge Planning

Here's how program counselors use discharge planning:
  • Utilize Secure Manage to maintain 40 clinical charts using according to company and accreditation standards along with providing comprehensive discharge planning.
  • Collaborated with multidisciplinary treatment teams to formulate and review individualized treatment plans and assisted in coordinating discharge planning.
top-skills

What skills help Program Counselors find jobs?

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

What skills stand out on program counselor resumes?

Dr. Steven Toepfer Ph.D.Dr. Steven Toepfer Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Associate Professor of Human Development & Family Studies, Kent State University

Generally, resume skills that might stand out include hands-on experience, leadership examples, and various skills related to technology. Always try to tailor your resume to the job you are applying!

What soft skills should all program counselors 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 hard/technical skills are most important for program counselors?

Treniece Lewis Harris Ph.D.

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

-Differential diagnosis to determine whether a person is experiencing an adjustment problem related to everyday life stressors or mental illness
-Knowledge and application of developmental and personality theory to human behavior.
-Experience in using multiple evidence-based psychotherapy models
-Psychological assessment, especially in neuropsychological testing
-Research design and implementation to study
-Program development
-Curriculum design and teaching skills

What program counselor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Melissa BoasMelissa Boas LinkedIn profile

Director of Professional School Counseling, Assistant Professor, Lancaster Bible College

I believe the most important skill to enhance if taking a gap year is self-awareness. Understanding oneself and why and how self-awareness directly relates to future career decision making is instrumental in ensuring the right decisions are made. Self-awareness is extremely beneficial in all areas of life not just in choosing a career pathway.

What type of skills will young program counselors need?

Chris Hennington Ph.D.Chris Hennington Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

School Counseling Program Coordinator, Lubbock Christian University

School counselors will be tasked with the usual school counseling responsibilities while also encountering trauma that students experience outside of school and in school. Being well versed in trauma response is going to be a vital aspect of being a school counselor. Kids are experiencing more trauma, but we are getting better at recognizing and treating trauma as well.
Do you want to know more?
Read more about what experts have to say about program counselor

List of program counselor skills to add to your resume

Program counselor skills

The most important skills for a program counselor resume and required skills for a program counselor to have include:

  • Developmental Disabilities
  • Patients
  • Community Integration
  • CPR
  • Social Work
  • Medication Administration
  • Crisis Intervention
  • Substance Abuse
  • Behavioral Interventions
  • Behavioral Issues
  • Compassion
  • Direct Care
  • Physical Disabilities
  • Relapse Prevention
  • Discharge Planning
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Mental Health Issues
  • Incident Reports
  • Behavior Management
  • Meal Preparation
  • Anger Management
  • Mental Illness
  • Community Resources
  • Therapeutic Environment
  • Independent Living
  • Medical Appointments
  • Role Model
  • Summer Program
  • Intellectual Disabilities
  • Group Therapy Sessions
  • Psychosocial Assessments
  • Medical Care
  • Individual Sessions
  • Direct Services
  • Crisis Situations
  • Vital Signs
  • Allergies
  • Discharge Summaries
  • ADL
  • Community Outings
  • Doctor Appointments
  • PowerPoint
  • Vulnerable Adults
  • Leadership
  • Community Involvement
  • Groceries
  • Domestic Violence
  • Parent Support
  • ADHD
  • Treatment Plan Reviews

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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