Interview Questions: What inspired you to become a mental health counselor?

Mental Health Counselor InterviewMental health counselors utilize a variety of therapeutic techniques to treat mental health conditions such as depression, addiction, anxiety, substance abuse, suicidal impulses, stress and anger management, job and career concerns, mental and emotional heath issues, relationship problems, and a host of others. They often work with other mental specialists such as psychiatrists, psychologists, and other mental health practitioners to provide counseling and support to individuals, couples, families, and groups.

 In this kind of setting, hiring managers may be interested in what inspired you to pursue this profession. Why? It’s because they want to know why you decided to become a mental health counselor and what has motivated you to continue with this profession.

How will you answer this question? What was your inspiration? Here are some tips that could help:

1. Create your list.

It’s a good idea to create your own list of reasons in advance so that you won’t be worried about how you should answer the question. Reflect on your past experiences to figure out which ones probably inspired you to carry on with this profession. Included in your list could be any of these things:

  • Desire to help other people. As clichéd as it may seem, this answer can still appear to be genuine and sincere as long as you use the right words to describe it. Some people possess the need to serve other people by helping them cope with their problems. It truly is rewarding to learn that you can actually help others find solutions to their problems.
  • Having your own personal reasons. For some people, personal reasons are what brought them to the mental health counseling profession. An example would be having a positive experience with a counselor or therapist back in college or being motivated by your high school teacher.
  • Interest in the field. This can also be one of your reasons if you’re really just fascinated with the field of psychology and if you have an interest in internal and interpersonal dynamics.
  • Search for a sense of meaning. If you feel like you were called to do this task, then you might be inspired by the idea of being a part of something larger than yourself. Maybe you’re seeking a sense of reward and that’s why you decided to take this path.

2. Stay calm and relaxed.

In any job interview, an applicant should always stay calm and relaxed because this will make him or her look confident in what he or she is saying. Don’t show any signs of nervousness or uneasiness in answering the question.

3. Make it short and simple.

Keeping your answer short and simple goes hand in hand with staying calm and relaxed. You don’t have to give a lengthy speech just to answer a single question that requires a simple answer. Nothing beats a short yet meaningful response.

4. Provide examples of personal experiences.

You can provide personal experiences to make your explanation better and clearer. Prepare an example beforehand so you won’t have to think of one on the spot. Just be cautious and mindful of the irrelevant things that you don’t need to include.

Also, stay calm and relaxed so that you can convey your answer effectively. The question should really be an easy one since you just have to tell the interviewer what inspired you to become a mental health counselor. Let your inspiration guide you in your interview and your career.

Read 27659 times Last modified on Monday, 07 March 2016 19:04
Alan Carniol

Alan is the creator of Interview Success Formula, a training program that has helped more than 80,000 job seekers to ace their interviews and land the jobs they deserve. Interviewers love asking curveball questions to weed out job seekers. But the truth is, most of these questions are asking about a few key areas. Learn more about how to outsmart tough interviewers by watching this video.