Cover Letter Guidelines & Template – Revised 6 February 2018
Counseling Department
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on your past experience and having opportunities to address a given student’s social, emotional,
and/or behavioral difficulties by working directly with the child in group therapy, shadowing the
school’s art therapist, and consulting with teachers to understand the impact of the child’s
difficulties in the classroom.
Note: Until you have spoken with Mrs. Koen about your specific interests and she has provided you
with information about different training programs, this paragraph may be more challenging to
write. However, you could include some general statements about your interest in working with
members of different populations or groups (e.g., children, adolescents, adults). Try to also think
about and discuss general skills that you have which would benefit your work across a variety of
training programs and populations (e.g., reflective listening, unbiased support, problem-solving
skills, etc.). The more specific you can be about your skills and abilities, the better able you will be to
demonstrate that you are a qualified candidate.
Paragraph 4:
Close with confidence, and an enthusiastic statement of your interest in the position and in meeting
with the reader. Suggest a meeting time, invite further action by the reader, or indicate how you will
follow up. For example, you might say “Thank you for your time and consideration. I would be
delighted to speak with you further about my background and areas of interest. I will follow up
within the next two weeks to see if we can find a mutually acceptable time to meet.”
Final Points
You may include your cover letter in the body of the email to the contact person or attach it.
If you attach it, please write something very brief in the body of the email. For example, you
might say, “Dear Ms. Peters, I have attached my cover letter, resume, and letters of
recommendation in application for a practicum position at the Academy of Physical and
Social Development. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Joseph Smith.”
Include your name, address, phone number, and email address (WJC account) at the top of
the page.
Include the name and the title of the person to whom the letter is addressed. If the contact
person has a master’s degree (e.g., M.A., M.S., M.S.W.) and/or one of the following
credentials (e.g., LMHC, LICSW, LMFT), then you should refer to him or her as “Mr.” or
“Ms.,” respectively. If the contact person has a doctoral degree (e.g., Ph.D., Psy.D., M.D.),
then you should refer to the individual as “Dr.”