What Employers Look For When Hiring Behavioral Health Therapists in 2022

What Employers Look For When Hiring Behavioral Health Therapists in 2022

Are you a behavioral health therapist/counselor just starting your career? Or you are someone experienced who is looking to grow as a mental health therapist/counselor? We have compiled an extensive list of traits that employers on the DirectShifts platform are looking for in a therapist in 2022. 

Read on, to learn the most desired skills and keywords you can add to your resume and work upon to improve your chances of getting your CV shortlisted and getting hired quickly!

1. Manage your Licenses & Certifications

  Before you start applying, it is very important that you have all your licenses & certifications in place. Here is a little checklist:

• If you are a licensed therapist, with a valid NPI number
• If you have a list of states you are licensed in, this increases your chances of getting jobs in those states
• Whether you have a history of being disciplined for ethical violations (Disciplinary actions)
• Whether your license is active, expired, revoked, or suspended

PRO TIP: Use free online tools that can help you remind your license & certification expiration dates

 Types of clinical focuses for Behavioral Health Therapists/Counselors

• Psychiatrist  Open Jobs
• Clinical Psychologist Open Jobs
• Licensed Mental Health Counselors (LMHC, LMFT, LCMFT, LIMFT) Open Jobs
• Licensed Clinical Social Workers ( LCSW, LISW, LCISW) Open Jobs
• Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFTs) Open Jobs
• Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC, LCPC, LPCC) Open Jobs

2. Create your Profile

Here are the major employer's requirements for the position of behavioral therapist/counselor that you might be expected to fulfill:

• What level of education do you have
• Where you received your degree(s)/ certifications (location)
• How long you've been practicing (in years & months)
• What style(s) of therapy do you practice (Licenses with states)
• What therapy method or methods do you use 
• Working style/work history
• What philosophy guides your therapy practice (optional)
• What your personality and professional tone are like 
• What kind of clients do you have the most experience with (age groups, symptoms, etc)
• Whether you have additional certifications beyond your license
• What are your availability of shifts / preferred time
• What is your ability to show compassion towards others
• Whether you have strong interpersonal and communications skills to effectively and accurately interact with patients
• Whether you have the ability to analyze a client and implement treatment programs with little to no supervision
• Must have the ability to work with families, healthcare professionals, counselors, and others
• Be a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC).

PRO TIP: A lot of employers prefer independently licensed professionals who require a very less amount of supervision as well as therapists who are comfortable with telemedicine/teletherapy/remote settings

3. Read Online Reviews

Here are some forums you can refer to for reviews :
Google review, Fairygodboss, Creerbliss, Glassdoor or you can do a manual Google search with organization-name + employee reviews

It's important to get a sense of the details, authenticity, and larger patterns of the reviews. But this means it's also important not to judge an organization for having few or no online reviews.

4. During Phone Interviews

A good therapist/counselor should be prepared to talk & help the client decide if you're the right therapist for them. The first consultation can be anything from a few-minute phone call to an hour-long conversation. 

The important thing to understand is whether a therapist/counselor from a different background has prepared to learn about his/her clients and the issues they face. 

Expected personality traits while an interview or mock sessions

• Caring
• Helpful
• Empathetic
• Responsive
• Understanding
• A good listener
• Easy to talk to

Therapists are paid an average annual salary of $52,984 as per FY 2021 reports (Source)

Conclusion

Healthcare recruiters will expect behavioral therapists/counselors to possess certain skills, abilities, and knowledge to get assured that you are the right fit. And that you will be able to perform the obligations, purpose, and objectives of the role effectively if hired.

As a clinician, it is important that you showcase your profile and resume quickly. You can use the DirectShifts platform to create an online platform that helps healthcare organizations with the best AI-matched candidates from our pool of 600,000+ pre-credentialed, verified, ready-to-work clinicians.