Writing a Clinical Psychologist Resume (Template + Example)

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Updated March 26, 2025

When creating a resume to apply for positions, including information about your experience and abilities can help you to stand out to hiring managers. Learning what information to include on a clinical psychologist resume, like your skills and background in research, can make it easier for you to create an effective document. If you're looking for a job as a clinical psychologist, crafting a resume that reflects the education and training you've received to become an expert in the field can help you qualify for more opportunities.In this article, we discuss how to create a clinical psychologist resume and provide a template and example to use as a guide.

What is a clinical psychologist resume?

A clinical psychologist resume is a document a mental health professional who specializes in the assessment and treatment of mental, behavioral and emotional disorders makes when applying for new jobs.Working in this role involves applying the science of psychology to understand and treat complex conditions and encourage patients to make changes in their lives that can benefit them.When applying for positions in clinical psychology, you can provide a resume to summarize your background for potential employers. This can include any industry-specific skills or accomplishments you have, along with your education and professional history.The information you include on your clinical psychologist resume can help a hiring manager or supervisor determine whether you have the skills and knowledge to succeed in the position.Related: Learn About Being a Clinical Psychologist

Skills to include on a clinical psychologist resume

Working in clinical psychology requires certain skills and abilities. Some of the key skills to consider including on your clinical psychologist resume include:

Communication

Because clinical psychologists interact with patients directly, they often have strong communication skills. Both oral and written communication skills, along with the ability to interpret communication from others, are important in this role.Some patients clinical psychologists work with may communicate without words, such as through gestures or facial expressions, so an understanding of human behavior is important.Read more: Top 10 Communication Skills for Career Success

Research

Clinical psychology is an evolving field in which experts perform research and report their findings constantly, so having strong research skills can be essential to succeed in this role. Psychologists may perform research to find existing studies or statistics in published scientific journals to find new treatment options for patients. Along with highlighting your research skills on your resume, it's important to emphasize your ability to evaluate the information you find.Related: How To Include Research Experience on Your Resume

Problem-solving

A clinical psychologist may face unique situations frequently throughout their career and can apply their training and expertise to support their patients. Individuals undergoing treatment with a psychologist may respond differently, requiring creativity and problem-solving skills.When creating your clinical psychologist resume, consider how you can outline your problem-solving skills and how you respond when something unexpected occurs during the workday.Related: Complex Problem-Solving: Definition and Steps

Patience

Working with patients requires patience because the people clinical psychologists treat may experience complex challenges that require creative solutions. Highlighting your ability to stay calm and be patient with those you work with can help your resume look more appealing.Another important aspect of this skill is how you stay motivated and positive, even when the patients you treat aren't experiencing the results you want or within the expected timeframe.

Ethics and values

Individuals working in the healthcare field, particularly in the mental health industry, have a significant responsibility to care for their patients. Clinical psychologists often interact with vulnerable and at-risk people, so providing ethical treatment to them is crucial. Maintaining your ethics and values can also help to ensure the well-being and safety of those with whom you interact on a professional level.Related: Developing Personal Ethics: Examples and Tips

How to create a clinical psychologist resume

As you consider your skills and experience, you can use this information to create a clinical psychologist resume that reflects what you could bring to an open position. Follow these steps to ensure sure you include the most important details:

1. Start with your personal details

The beginning of a resume includes your personal information, such as your name, a relevant degree or certification and your location. You also can include your phone number and email address, so a potential employer can get into contact with you. Putting this at the top of your resume can make it easier for a hiring manager to contact you for an interview.Related: What Does a Good Resume Look Like?

2. Write a professional summary

You can use the professional summary on your clinical psychologist resume to introduce yourself briefly and outline what you're seeking for your next professional opportunity. When crafting your summary, think about how you can get the attention of the person reading it and make a strong impression on them. This section can impact whether the hiring manager continues reading and learns more about you as a candidate.Related: Resume Summary vs. Resume Objective: What Are the Differences?

3. Compile educational background

Because a role in clinical psychology may have specific educational requirements, it's important to include the level of education you've completed on your resume. When creating the education section of your clinical psychology resume, include the names of the schools you attended and the degrees you earned.If you graduated within the past three years, you may also want to include the years in which you attended each school and any specific coursework, extracurricular activities, volunteer opportunities or memberships that emphasize your background in psychology.

4. Outline your skills

The skills section of your clinical psychologist resume is where you can highlight your abilities related to the role you're pursuing. When reviewing the job posting, try to assess the required skills and include any that apply to you.Some skills that you might want to emphasize for a clinical psychology role include empathy, active listening and attention to detail.Related: Create a Resume Outline in 8 Steps (With Examples)

5. Include relevant work experience

A potential employer typically looks closely at a candidate's work experience section to determine whether they're qualified for the open position. You can begin each job listing with the name of the company, your title and the start and end dates of your role.When outlining your job history, it's helpful to include details about the responsibilities you had in each role and the value you brought to each organization. Consider starting the section with your current or most recent position and list your previous roles in reverse-chronological order.

6. Add keywords from the job listing

Many employers use applicant tracking software to manage job postings and find candidates. This software can filter out candidates whose resumes don't meet certain criteria, including specific keyword matches.Before you submit your application and resume, review the desired qualifications and skills and include similar language in your resume to get past any filters within the applicant tracking software.Related: How To Use Resume Keywords To Get an Interview

Clinical psychologist resume template

When creating your own clinical psychologist resume, you can use this template to determine what to include and how to format the document:

[First name] [Last name]

[Phone number] | [Email address] | [City], [State]Professional Summary[Brief statement, typically two or three sentences, that highlights your experience, skills and achievements, along with how those align with the position]Education[Degree], [Major] |[Date of graduation (if you have less than three years of professional experience)]
[Name of school or university]
[Any relevant memberships, volunteer opportunities or notable coursework]Skills[Skill] | [Skill] | [Skill] | [Skill] | [Skill]Experience[Job Title] | [Employment dates]
[Company Name] | [City], [State]

[Strong verb explaining what you did and the reason, outcome or quantified results]
[Strong verb] + [job duty] + [impact]
[Strong verb] + [job duty] + [impact]
[Strong verb] + [job duty] + [impact]
[Strong verb] + [job duty] + [impact]

[Job Title] I [Employment dates]
[Company Name] | [City], [State]

[Strong verb] + [job duty] + [impact]
[Strong verb] + [job duty] + [impact]
[Strong verb] + [job duty] + [impact]

Download Resume Template

To upload the template into Google Docs, go to File > Open > and select the correct downloaded file.

Clinical psychologist resume example

This clinical psychologist resume example can provide insights into what you may want to highlight on your own resume:

Alex Jimenez

212-596-7412 | ajimenez@email.com |New York City, NYProfessional SummaryRecent graduate of clinical psychology Ph.D. program with extensive research experience seeking a position to interact with and serve patients. Looking to use skills in communication, critical thinking and empathy to become a Clinical Psychologist for Jefferson Health Center.EducationDoctorate in clinical psychology | January 2022
New York College of PsychologySkillsData compilation and analysis | Problem-solving | Research | Written and verbal communication | Ability to maintain confidentialityExperiencePsychology Research Assistant | January 2021–April 2022
New York College of Psychology | New York City, NY

Performed extensive research in scientific journals to compile data
Interviewed subjects and conducted surveys to glean information
Performed behavioral analyses
Entered and stored research data to support researchers
Analyzed data with researchers to determine findings of studies

Teaching Assistant to Psychology Professors | April 2019–January 2021
New York College of Psychology | New York City, NY

Provided direct support to the dean of the school of psychology and other professors in the department
Graded psychology assignments and submitted grades
Hosted daily office hours and consulted with undergraduates

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