Mental Health Worker CV Guide

What to include in a Mental Health Worker CV

You have probably seen a few CV examples and noticed that the designs, structures and layouts differ. However, what most have in common are the main sections, such as contact information, professional summary, education, work experience, key skills, achievements and references. Starting with these main headings will help you decide on the information to include.

Your CV should include aspects of your academic, professional and personal background, and you should align them with the specific mental health worker position. First, carefully read the job description to identify the qualifications, skills and experience mentioned, which will help you tailor your CV content. Then, work through section by section, beginning with one of the easiest – your contact information.

Contact information

Your contact information section should be clear, concise, professional and positioned at the very top of your CV. It introduces you to potential employers and makes it easy for them to reach you. Here are some examples of what to include:

• Full name – use your legal or preferred professional name.
• Professional title (optional) – usually your current or previous role, e.g. “Mental health worker”.
• Location – include your town, city and/or county.
• Phone number – add a reliable number where employers can reach you. If you have voicemail, ensure it sounds professional.
• Email address – choose a professional email (avoid casual addresses like “funnyname@email.com”).
• LinkedIn profile (optional) – if you have a professional LinkedIn and it is relevant, include the link. Keep your profile up to date and ensure it aligns with your CV.
• Professional website or portfolio (if applicable) – useful if you have relevant certifications or projects.

There is also information that you should avoid including, such as:

• Personal details – do not include your date of birth, marital status, national insurance number or other personal identifiers, as they are irrelevant and can lead to privacy risks.
• Full home address – you do not need to include your full address details, as your town, city and/or county is sufficient.
• Photo – unless the employer requests one, avoid including your photograph on your CV, as it increases the risk of bias and discrimination.
• Multiple phone numbers – only have one reliable contact number on your CV, as having too many can mean you miss calls and messages.

Ensure your contact information is accurate and current so you do not miss opportunities.

Professional summary

The next section that goes after your contact information is your professional summary, which is also known as a personal statement, career summary, personal profile or executive summary. It is a short, 3-5 line paragraph highlighting your key qualifications, skills, experience, achievements and career goals. It serves as a quick introduction, giving employers an immediate understanding of who you are and what you bring to the role.

A well-crafted professional summary is essential, as it is typically one of the first things prospective employers will read, so it sets the tone for the rest of your CV and can create a positive first impression or a negative one. If it is well-written, clear and engaging, it keeps them interested and encourages them to read further. Here are some pointers on what to include:

• Professional title – start your summary with a strong action verb and add your previous or current role, e.g. “Compassionate mental health worker”.
• Years of experience – mention how long you have worked in mental health work or related fields.
• Key skills – highlight essential skills like crisis intervention, patient advocacy, therapeutic communication and collaboration with healthcare teams.
• Specialisations – if applicable, state any specific areas of mental health work, e.g. addiction recovery, youth mental health, community outreach, etc.
• Achievements – briefly mention accomplishments, such as improving patient engagement, leading successful therapy groups or implementing effective support strategies.
• Passion for mental health – convey your commitment to supporting individuals and improving mental well-being.
• Career goals – if you have space, you may want to show your commitment to growth and professional development in the field. For example, “Committed to advancing crisis intervention and trauma-informed care skills, aiming to specialise in community mental health outreach”.

Here is an example of a professional summary for a mental health worker:

“Compassionate and dedicated mental health support worker with 5+ years of experience assisting individuals in managing mental health conditions. Skilled in crisis intervention, care planning, and patient advocacy, with a strong ability to build trust and empower clients. Passionate about improving mental well-being through tailored support and collaborative approaches with multidisciplinary teams.”

Do not forget to tailor your summary to the specific mental health worker role to demonstrate why you are a strong fit.

Education

The next section of your CV can be your education or work experience. If you are new to mental health work, i.e. early in your career, it may be worth focusing on your education first.

The education section is where you provide a snapshot of your educational background and include details of academic qualifications, training and certifications. Many mental health worker roles require formal qualifications to ensure practitioners comprehend associated theories and best practices, so adding your relevant credentials helps employers understand your background and expertise in the field.

Look at the job posting to see if the role requires specific qualifications and training, and then align your most relevant qualifications to the role. You should add your highest and most recent ones first. Here are some examples of what to include in the education section:

• Qualification name – add any relevant undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in psychology, healthcare, social work, mental health nursing, counselling or a related field. You could also add any diplomas and certifications, e.g. BTEC Level 3 in Health and Social Care, NVQ in Care or other recognised vocational qualifications.
• Institution name – give the university, college or training provider where you studied.
• Dates of study – include the years of attendance, e.g. 2019–2022. If you are still studying, write “Currently enrolled – expected graduation: [year]”.
• Honours, awards or grades – if relevant, you can add your achievements.
• Relevant coursework or specialisation – if your studies focused on areas like trauma support, addiction recovery, neurodiversity or other areas relating to mental health work, you can mention those to strengthen your CV.
• Additional certifications and training (if applicable) – you can include any additional courses you have attended or certificates you have gained, e.g.:
  • Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Certification.
  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) Training.
  • Safeguarding Training (Child or Adult).
  • Suicide Prevention and Crisis Intervention Training.
  • DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) Clearance – important for roles involving vulnerable individuals.

Whether you include lower qualifications, such as GCSEs and A-Levels (or equivalent), will depend on your experience and the role you are applying for. If you are early in your career or applying for a role that requires specific subjects, listing them can strengthen your qualifications, particularly if they are relevant to mental health, such as psychology or health and social care. However, if you have higher qualifications like a degree or vocational training, you may not need to include them, as employers will focus on your most advanced education.

If you include earlier qualifications, ensure they are relevant and keep it brief. For example:

• A-Levels: Psychology (A), Biology (B), Sociology (A).
• GCSEs: 8 including English & Maths (A–C or 7-4).

Work experience/employment history

In your work experience section, you should detail your history of paid employment, internships, freelance projects or volunteer work you have done in the past. It demonstrates your responsibilities, skills and achievements in your previous positions.

The work experience section is one of the most important, as it gives employers a better understanding of your background and the types of organisations you have worked in. It shows them that you have practical experience and have developed relevant skills for the job you are applying for. A strong work history differentiates you from other candidates and makes you more credible.

When adding your work experience, you should focus on your previous roles and responsibilities that are most relevant and tailor them to the job. Here are some pointers on what you can include:

• Job titles – add your previous job titles.
• Organisation names and locations – include who you worked for and where.
• Employment dates – include the start and end dates (month and year).
• Key responsibilities – briefly describe your main duties in each role and add 3-5 bullet points. Start each with a strong action verb and include your skills, accomplishments and contributions. Focus on what you did and your impact.

Here is an example of a work experience section for a mental health worker:

Mental Health Worker. MindMenders UK Ltd, Manchester. March 2019-Present.

• Developed personalised care plans in collaboration with healthcare professionals and patients.
• Facilitated group therapy sessions and one-to-one support, significantly improving patient communication and coping skills.
• Acted as a patient advocate during treatment planning meetings, ensuring patient needs and preferences were prioritised.
• Provided crisis intervention support, effectively de-escalating situations and ensuring patient safety.
• Initiated and led a peer support group that increased patient engagement by 40%.

Key skills and achievements

Key skills on a CV highlight your strengths and abilities relevant to the job you are applying for, and achievements showcase your impact in previous roles. Combining key skills and achievements on a CV strengthens your application by showing what you can do and how you have applied those skills successfully. We will look at how to focus on achievements later.

There are two main types of skills, hard and soft, which you should include when writing this section.

• Hard skills – are technical and job-specific, learned through education, training and practical experience. Some examples of hard skills for a mental health worker include:
  • Conducting mental health assessments
  • Knowledge of various therapeutic techniques.
  • Crisis intervention.
  • Cultural competency.
  • Understanding safeguarding laws and procedures.
  • Medication management.
  • Record-keeping and maintaining confidential client files.
  • Technology and software.
• Soft skills – are interpersonal and personal skills that help you interact and support individuals. Some examples of soft skills for a mental health worker include empathy, compassion, active listening, communication, resilience, emotional regulation, patience, adaptability, problem-solving, teamwork, building trust and rapport, etc.

Look at the job description and note the hard and soft skills the organisation mentions. Include your most relevant skills that align with the employer’s requirements. Many organisations use applicant tracking systems (ATS) that scan for keywords in CVs, so including relevant key skills can increase your chances of getting to the interview stage.

You can weave your skills and achievements into your work experience section, combine them in a separate one or have standalone sections for both. Here is an example of skills and achievements combined: “Provided CBT-based interventions to support clients with anxiety, improving recovery outcomes by 40%”.

Other information

You may find that some of your information will not fit into the sections we have looked at, or you may want some of your credentials to stand out. In these cases, you can add extra sections and content to your CV if you think it will add value and increase your chances of getting an interview. Here are some examples of other sections you may want to consider:

• Certifications and training – you could use your education section for formal qualifications, such as degrees, diplomas, A-Levels and GCSEs, and have a separate one for additional courses you have attended, e.g. Mental Health First Aid, Safeguarding or CBT training. You could also include information about DBS checks.
• Professional memberships – some people choose to have a section for affiliations with professional bodies and associations.
• Volunteer experience – you can include any voluntary work in the work experience section, especially if you have not yet had a paid role in mental health work. Alternatively, you could have a standalone heading and detail any unpaid work demonstrating your commitment to mental health work, e.g. working with charities and in the community.
• Professional development – you could have a section listing workshops, seminars, conferences, webinars and online training you have completed. It can be useful if your role requires continuing professional development (CPD) hours.
• Languages – if you speak multiple languages, you may want to highlight this, as it can be valuable for diverse patient and client interactions.
• Publications, research, projects and initiatives – if you have contributed to mental health studies, articles and programs, mention them.
• Interests and hobbies – add this section if relevant to the role and you lack experience. You could include any personal interests that align with mental health advocacy to add depth to your profile.
• Case studies and testimonials – if appropriate, include anonymised success stories or feedback from patients/clients, families or colleagues.

You do not have to add any extra sections. If you feel they strengthen your application, include them. However, if they do not add much value and make your CV look cluttered, keep it streamlined and stick to the main sections.

References

The final section in your CV should be your reference section. Here, you should include the details of 2-3 individuals (referees) who can vouch for your skills, work ethic and experience. They are typically former managers, colleagues or mentors who can help employers gain insight into your professional character.

Having strong referees is crucial, as it adds legitimacy to your CV by confirming your claims, which can build trust and make you more credible. It can also differentiate you from other candidates.

When completing the reference section of your CV, first look at the job description to see if they want details of your referees at this stage of the process. If they do not, and you have limited space, add a simple statement, “References available upon request”, instead of listing them. If they do ask for references on your CV, here is what to include:

• Full name – the referee’s name.
• Job title and organisation – their role and where they work.
• Contact information – a current email address and phone number.
• Your relationship – how you know them, e.g. former manager, supervisor, colleague, etc.

Always ask your referees for permission before adding their details to your CV. You could also give them details of the mental health worker job you are applying for so they can prepare and tailor their reference to the role.