Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder & Mental Health Counselor Interview Questions & Answers

A substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselor provides treatment and advises people who suffer from alcoholism, drug addiction, or other mental or behavioral problems.

Interviewers look for candidates that demonstrate excellent skills such as:

• Listening skills
• Compassion
• Interpersonal skills
• Speaking skills
• Patience

In this blog, we discuss commonly asked interview questions during job interviews for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselor positions. We also discuss the qualities that interviewers look for in successful candidates. In other words, we’re here to help you out!

Also, read more about frequently asked job interview questions here and check our job interview preparation checklist.

Skills Interviewers Look For In Successful Candidates

Below we discuss the skills you can highlight in your answers to demonstrate that you’re qualified for the job.

Compassion

Why interviewers are interested in your level of compassion:

Substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors often work with people who are dealing with stressful and difficult situations, so they must be compassionate and empathize with their clients.

Related: Addiction Counselor Interview Questions & Answers

Interpersonal skills

Why interviewers are interested in your interpersonal skills:

Substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors must be able to work with different types of people. They spend most of their time working directly with clients or other professionals and must be able to develop and nurture good relationships.

Learn more about interpersonal interview questions and how to answer them!

Listening skills

Why interviewers are interested in your listening skills:

Substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors need good listening skills. They must give their full attention to a client to be able to understand that client’s problems and values.

Related: Peer Support Specialist Cover Letter Examples & Writing Guide

Patience

Why interviewers are interested in your level of patience:

Substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors must be able to remain calm when working with all types of clients, including those who may be distressed or angry.

Speaking skills

Why interviewers are interested in your speaking skills:

Substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors need to be able to effectively communicate with clients. They must express ideas and information in a way that their clients easily understand.

(source: bls.gov)

Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder & Mental Health Counselor Job Interview Questions & Answers

During a job interview, the hiring manager wants to discuss several things. Think of your:

• Employment history
• Skills and abilities
• Accomplishments
• Job qualifications
• Educational background
• Career goals
• Personality

Below you find a list of commonly asked interview questions.

Examples Of Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder & Mental Health Counselor Interview Questions

1. Tell me about yourself.
2. How would you describe yourself?
3. Why do you want to work here?
4. What interests you about this position?
5. Walk me through your resume.
6. What motivates you?
7. Why are you leaving your current job?
8. Describe your work ethic.
9. What is your greatest strength?
10. How does your experience qualify you for this job?
11. What is your greatest weakness?
12. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
13. Tell me about a challenging work situation and how you overcame it.
14. What are your expectations for this position?
15. What are your career goals?
16. Why should we hire you?
17. What did you like most about your last position?
18. What did you like least about your last position?
19. How do you handle stress?
20. What is your greatest accomplishment?

Learn how to answer these common job interview questions!

Examples Of Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder & Mental Health Counselor Behavioral Interview Questions

Learn more about answering behavioral interview questions by using the STAR interview technique.

1. How do you build trust with your clients/patients?
2. Say a client comes to you with problem ‘x’ (insert issue that you might encounter on the job), how would you approach the situation?
3. What is your greatest accomplishment as a substance abuse, behavioral disorder, or mental health counselor?
4. How would you describe your style of counseling? How will it fit our organization and company culture?
5. Walk me through how you plan, organize, and prioritize your workday?
6. How do you define success as a substance abuse, behavioral disorder, or mental health counselor?
7. Why did you apply to our clinic? What work experience would help you most on the job?
8. How do you go about individualizing treatment for a client?
9. What skills do you think are essential for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, or mental health counselor to be successful?
10. Do you think teamwork is important for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, or mental health counselor? Why?
11. When a new client comes to you for consultation, what are the first steps you take?
12. What would you do if you could not provide a client with the counseling that he or she needs in your opinion?
13. Tell me about the skills you possess that would make you a good counselor.
14. What training and development courses could help you become a better substance abuse, behavioral disorder, or mental health counselor?
15. How have you developed qualities such as patience and compassion over the last years?
16. Give me an example of a work experience that gave you great job satisfaction as a substance abuse, behavioral disorder, or mental health counselor?
17. Tell me about a time you professionally dealt with a stressful situation at work.
18. Describe a time you had to deal with a difficult client. How did you handle the situation?

Learn more about questions to ask the interviewer during your job interview.