Home Drug and Alcohol Counsellor Resume template
Drug and Alcohol Counsellor resume template
A clean starting structure with example content grounded in what drug and alcohol counsellors actually do day to day, not generic filler. Download and replace the bracketed placeholders with your own details.
Which resume format should you use?
Reverse chronological
You have a steady work history. This is the format almost every recruiter and ATS expects by default.
Functional
You're changing fields or have gaps in your employment. Leads with skills rather than a job-by-job timeline.
Combination
You're early career or have worked consistently but for only a few employers. Blends a skills summary with a shorter chronological history.
This template uses the reverse chronological format: the one most drug and alcohol counsellors should default to, since most Australian recruiters and ATS software expect it.
Professional summary
I am a drug and alcohol counsellor with a strong commitment to harm minimisation and client-centred care. I have experience assessing substance use, developing treatment plans and supporting clients through individual and group counselling. I work well within multidisciplinary teams and maintain accurate case notes to support continuous care.
Key skills
- Counselling and support work
- Casework and client support
- Health education and advice
- Community engagement
- Regulatory compliance
- Penelope
- Titanium
- Cerner PowerChart
- SMART
- Microsoft Office
- Written communication
- Empathy and interpersonal care
- Problem solving
Experience: example bullet points
- Conducted comprehensive assessments for clients presenting with alcohol and other drug use, identifying health and social needs and developing tailored treatment plans.
- Facilitated weekly group counselling sessions for up to 12 participants, covering relapse prevention and harm minimisation strategies.
- Coordinated referrals to medical, housing and mental health services, reducing barriers to care and improving continuity for clients.
- Maintained detailed case notes and prepared outcome reports for funding bodies, ensuring compliance with reporting requirements.
- Supported clients in setting and achieving recovery goals, with many reporting improved stability and reduced substance use.
Education
A common pathway into this role is a Bachelor degree in counselling, social work, psychology or a related field, or a Diploma of Alcohol and Other Drugs. Some counsellors start with a Certificate IV in Alcohol and Other Drugs and complete further study while working.
Keywords an ATS is likely to scan for
Applicant tracking systems match your resume against terms in the job ad before a person ever sees it. Only include the ones that actually apply to your experience, but if a term below matches something you've done, use the same wording the job ad uses.
- AOD
- alcohol and other drugs
- harm minimisation
- case management
- treatment planning
- referral
- client assessment
- group counselling
- individual counselling
- case notes
- outcome reporting
- multidisciplinary team
- recovery-oriented practice
- trauma-informed care
- motivational interviewing
- brief intervention
- Working with Children Check
- National Police Check
- Australian Counselling Association
- PACFA
Getting past ATS screening
- Match the specific skills, certifications and terms used in the job ad, not just your own wording for the same thing.
- Keep formatting simple: no tables, text boxes, columns, headers/footers or graphics. Parsers frequently drop content placed in these.
- Submit as .docx or PDF unless the job ad specifies otherwise.
- Use standard section headings (Experience, Education, Skills) rather than creative alternatives.
- List your core skills and technical competencies in their own section so a keyword scan can find them instantly.
This is a starting point, not a guarantee of interviews. Tailor every bullet point to your own real experience and the specific job ad.