Dear future mental health counselor,
I will keep this page short and to the point. Here’s what I have for you today:
In the eBook, you will find multiple great answers to each of the following questions:
- Why do you want to work as a mental health counselor?
- How do you imagine a typical day in work?
- What are your favorite therapy methods?
- What do you consider your greatest weakness as a counselor?
- What do you consider the major causes of mental health issues nowadays, especially when we speak about people in our hospital/facility/center?
- What do you consider the toughest aspect of this job?
- What are your salary expectations?
- When a client comes to your office for a consultation, what is the first thing you will ask them?
- How do you feel about receiving a luxury holiday voucher from the sales representative of one of the pharma companies?
- How do you plan to build trust with the clients/patients?
- How would you encourage the patients to speak about the issues they experience?
- One of the clients, a 16 year old boy, shares their suicide plans with you. What will you do?
- In your opinion, what are the most common mental and emotional problems children face nowadays?
- How do you imagine your cooperation with psychiatrists and other staff at the clinic? Do you have any expectations on them?
- Violence is increasing in our society, including fatal incidents. What can you do about it as a mental health counselor?
- … and ten other tough questions you may face in your mental health counselor interview.
Check the sample to see how this book can help you:
Sample from the eBook
Q 14: When a client comes to your office for a consultation, what is the first thing you will ask them?
Hint: This probably depends on the information you already have about the person, and on the condition of the appointment—whether they voluntarily decided to come, or whether they were sent to your office by a legal/medical authority.
Once again, you can bet on individual approach, saying that you don’t have a typical question, and that it really depends on the situation, the stress the person experiences, their emotional state, etc.
Alternatively you can go for one of the open questions, such as: “What prompted you to seek therapy?” or “Can you please tell me how you feel right now?”.
Third alternative is saying that you won’t ask them anything, that you’d firstly introduce yourself, trying to help them relax, trying to make a good connection…
Sample answers
I do not have such a question, because I prefer to approach each client individually. Once they walk in the office, I quickly observe how they feel, if they experience anxiety, and so on. It also depends on whether I know something about them already. Basically I always try to choose the most appropriate question in a given situation, and that can vary from one meeting to another.
I prefer not to start with questions. Therapy isn’t a police interrogation, is it? I’d firstly introduce myself, tell them that the entire session is confidential, that they need not to worry, that I am there to help them—and not to judge them. That’s the first thing I’d do. Often they will start talking afterwards on their own, and if not, I’d encourage them to tell me why they came.
“What prompted you to seek therapy?” is perhaps a good opening. But I am just starting in this field, and surely I will learn what’s the best way to start a meeting with the clients, after few months in the practice.
Q 17: How would you encourage the patients to speak about the issues they experience?
Hint: Building trust is probably the most important thing. But you can also outline some basic yet powerful techniques, such as asking more questions, listening without interruptions, choosing proper timing for asking the questions, keeping an eye contact, opening up yourself, etc.
You can hardly offer any counseling without making the client speak first. Show the interviewers that you understand the importance of it, and will always do your best to help them open up.
Sample answers
I know it takes time to gain trust of someone, to build the right connection with each client. Until it happens, some people may share nothing with me, or they may always remain on the superficial level. I will always do my best to build trust, demonstrating that I honestly care. Listening carefully without interruptions, asking the right questions at the right time, and possibly also opening myself to the client—showing my trust to them—all of this can help in the most difficult cases.
Speaking from the experience I gained during my internship, silence can do miracles. You ask the question, and you wait. You wait until they answer, or until they express their emotions. It doesn’t matter if you have to wait ten minutes. One way or another, you get the information, you see their attitude, and you can start working from that point. Some techniques that definitely help are ensuring the client repeatedly that their words won’t leave your room, and of course asking the right follow-up questions, and listening with honest interest to everything they want to say.
End of the sample
These are just two questions. You will find 25 in the eBook, including personal, behavioral, and technical questions. But that’s not all.
To ensure you will get the job, I included in the book six principles you need to understand before you can ace this interview.
Without talking too much about them, let me show you another sample from the book:
Sample no. 2
Principle no. 1: Do your homework
People sitting in the interviewing panel will know a lot about their healthcare facility.
But you know what? They expect a good candidate for the position of a mental health counselor to know nearly as much as they do—or at least to care.
- You should do your homework. Try to research particularly about the following things:
- The size of the facility, the number of patients, the number of counselors and psychologists/psychiatrists working at the place.
- The prevailing treatment methods, the daily routine of the patients.
- Any major or minor achievements in recent years (recognition of leading figures, great reputation, positive (or also negative) reviews of the place).
- Things that make the place unique, reasons why patients (and their families) should choose it instead of other mental health facilities (can be location, landscape, modern technology, staff, etc).
- Problems and challenges they face at the place.
- History of the institution, at least briefly.
- Their goals and values, reasons why they exist (typically called “mission statement”), you should find it on their website.
Luckily we live in 21st century, and you won’t have to consult dozens of people to find the answers. Online reviews, local news articles, social networks—all these tools, and obviously Google and the website of the clinic/hospital, will help you a lot with your research.
Make notes, print them, and read them before the start of your interview. If possible, visit the place in advance—even to just see the location, and the setting for the therapy.
Good research will help you in many ways.
It will help you to find good answers to particular interview questions (questions that relate to the place), to calm down before your interview (since it is always easier if we feel somehow familiar with the place and people we will meet), and to come up with a good question, once there’s an opportunity to ask a question.
When you know a lot about the place, or even about the people who lead the interview with you, you will always find something interesting to point out, or to discuss with them.
Ignorant candidates who rely only on their qualification and interviewing skills, and do not even look at the website of the institution before their interview, are rarely hired.
Do not make the same mistake. Spend enough time researching about them. Visit the facility before your interview. Have a look, check the way to the place. Make the unfamiliar familiar. It will help you immensely in your interview.
End of the sample
So that’s it. I do not want to waste your time with lengthy sales pages, and imaginary discounts or fake reviews, just like other people do on their websites, while selling various digital products.
You have read the samples, you know what the eBook is about, and surely you can tell whether it will help you or not.
I sincerely believe it will help you in your interview. It will help you a lot. And you can read it easily in two or three hours, it’s 12,000 words. Only things that truly matter, no secondary content.
Plus, of course, like with everything else we sell here on InterviewPenguin.com, you have a risk free sixty days money back guarantee.
If you don’t like this eBook for any reason, or no reason at all, just let me know (email me at matthew[at]interviewpenguin[dot]com) within 60 days and we will give you a full refund.
Quick Summary
- Brilliant answers to twenty-five difficult questions you may get in your interview for a mental health counselor job.
- Several sample answers to each question, so you can choose the one that reflects your values and experience.
- Six principles of acing the interview, things you simply need to know and understand, in order to make the right impression on the hiring managers.
- Instant download, .PDF format (you can read it on any device (mobile, kindle, PC), and you can easily print it).
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That’s it. Your interview does not have to be stressful, or difficult. You can interview with confidence, and give brilliant answers to all tough questions. Download the guide today, and succeed in your interview for a job of a mental health counselor.
Sincerely,
Matthew Chulaw
Your personal job interview coach
P.S. Feel free to send me a message if you are still not sure how this guide will help you to get a job. I try my best to answer all messages within twelve hours (matthew[at]interviewpenguin[dot]com).
