My Missing Crucial Cs
I’d like to begin this article by sharing my personal and professional experience with what I’ve come to call the “Missing Crucial Cs.” When I started working in the hospital as a social worker three years ago, I wasn’t a new graduate or a student on placement. I was already an experienced practitioner, having worked in the social work field for six years.
“To maintain client confidentiality, personal information and case details have been adapted and are not reflective of real people or situations.”
However, when I started a new role there, I was super nervous. My confidence was pretty low. Because English isn’t my first language, so all the medical terms and jargons were like a strange language to me.
For the first year or two, my confidence was very low. I often felt anxious when dealing with family harm cases. At times, I questioned my abilities and thought, “Maybe I’m not the right person to be working here.”
Sound familiar?
probably, you’re sitting in session with a client. You’re trying to stay present, remember your training, and respond with empathy. But something feels off.
You hesitate to try a new intervention.
You feel disconnected from your client.
You doubt your skills.
You wonder if you’re even making a difference.
These moments aren’t just about technique—they’re about something deeper. And often, what’s missing in your practice is one of the Crucial Cs: Courage, Connect, Capable, Count.
In this post, we’ll explore how these four psychological needs show up in your clinical work—and how supervision can help you understand, strengthen, and reclaim them.
What is Crucial Cs?
Amy Lew and Betty Lou Bettner created the Crucial Cs in 1998 to highlight four basic psychological needs: courage, connect, capable, and count. While the framework was first meant for helping children grow through teaching and parenting, it also works well for adults, including therapists in training. Supervisors can use it to understand where their trainees are doing well or struggling and help them improve in those areas.
Connect
Connect is about building strong, trusting relationships with clients (patients), as well as with colleagues and other professionals. A good connection is often at the heart of effective work and therapy. It’s not only about your ability to build relationships—it’s also about how you feel within them. Ask yourself, “Do I feel connected and supported by my colleagues?” If the answer is no, then you’re not fully meeting the crucial C – Connect.
Then, this is the time you need to bring it to your supervision. your supervisor can help by showing empathy, talking about relationship dynamics together, and encouraging you to reflect on how you relate to others.
Capable
Capable is the belief that you have the skills and knowledge to do your job well. Feeling capable builds confidence in practitioners. When you feel overwhelmed while working with a client, or anxious about taking on a new task, ask yourself: “Do I feel confident?” If not, then explore why—because without that sense of capability, you’re not fully meeting the crucial C – Capable.
During supervision, you can explore the underlying causes of lacking confidence—whether it’s a need for more training, acquiring relevant knowledge, or simply gaining experience and encouragement. Supervisors play a key role in this process by offering constructive feedback, celebrating progress, and providing opportunities to grow through tasks that are challenging yet achievable.
Count
Count means feeling that your work matters and is appreciated. Practitioners need to know they’re making a difference. When we receive recognition or rewards for our work, it boosts our confidence. It also makes us feel proud of what we do.
Rewards aren’t just about money. We feel grateful and valued, when we hear excellent compliments from our clients, or positive feedback from our colleagues or team leaders.
If you’re currently missing the Crucial C of Count—feeling unseen or undervalued—now is the time to speak with your supervisor and have an honest discussion about your role and contributions. Your supervisor can help by recognising your efforts, giving regular encouragement, and showing how your work helps clients.
Courage
Courage means being willing to take risks and try new things, even if they might not work. Practitioners need courage to step outside their comfort zones and explore new ways to help clients. If you feel stuck in one particular way of intervention, just because you feel comfortable or avoid taking any risk, then you need to ask yourself, “Am I missing courage?”
Supervisors can encourage this by creating a safe space where mistakes are seen as part of learning.
The Crucial Cs offer you a useful way to reflect on your own professional development. They help you become more aware of how you talk about your clients and your therapeutic work, and they give your supervisor insight into your needs by listening to the language you use in supervision.
Supervision: The Space to Explore What’s Missing
Supervision isn’t just about reviewing what happened in session. It’s about unpacking how you felt, what you feared, what you avoided, and what you need to move forward.
🧗♀️ Missing Courage
In practice:
You avoid trying new techniques. You stick to what feels safe. You worry about making mistakes.
In supervision:
You can talk about your fears. You can ask for support. You can reflect on what’s holding you back—and take small steps forward.
Try saying:
“I wanted to try something different with my client, but I got scared. Can we talk about that?”
🤝 Missing Connect
In practice:
You feel distant from your client. You struggle to build rapport. You wonder if you’re being authentic.
In supervision:
You can explore your relational style. You can reflect on past experiences. You can learn how to show up more fully.
Try saying:
“I’m having trouble connecting with this client. I’m not sure why—it’s making me feel stuck.”
🛠 Missing Capable
In practice:
You doubt your skills. You feel like an imposter. You second-guess your decisions.
In supervision:
You can get feedback. You can track your growth. You can learn to trust your instincts.
Try saying:
“I keep feeling like I’m not good enough. Can we look at what I’m doing well?”
🌟 Missing Count
In practice:
You feel invisible. You wonder if your work matters. You question your impact.
In supervision:
You can reflect on your contributions. You can hear affirmations. You can reconnect with your purpose.
Try saying:
“I’m not sure I’m making a difference. Can we talk about how I’m showing up for my clients?”
Experiences of your Crucial Cs
Lew and Bettner’s (1995) model of the ‘Crucial Cs’, which reminds the importance of feeling like:
- We belong and Connect
- We can take responsibility and feel Capable
- We are significant and can make a difference, and therefore, we Count
- We can handle difficult situations and overcome fear with Courage.
Reflect on two specific occasions in your professional context – one when you felt discouraged and one when you felt encouraged. What did you feel and what did you do? Identify
- whether any of the ‘Crucial Cs’ were missing in the situation where you felt discouraged
- whether any of the ‘Crucial Cs’ were being met when you felt encouraged.
Common Misconception of Crucial Cs
At this point, you might be thinking that the Crucial Cs—Courage, Connect, Capable, and Count—are mostly relevant for new graduates or practitioners who are just starting out. And honestly, that’s an easy assumption to make.
But it’s also a common misconception.
According to the Integrated Developmental Model (IDM), practitioners evolve through multiple stages—typically Level 1 to Level 3, and sometimes into a fourth, integrated level. And here’s the important part: each stage comes with its own Crucial Cs needs.
Even if you’re at Level 3 or moving toward Level 4, you’re not immune to moments of doubt or disconnection. For example, I’m currently somewhere between Level 3 and 4 in my own development. But there are still times—especially when I encounter a particularly complex or unfamiliar case—when I feel like Capable goes missing. I start questioning whether I have enough experience, whether I’m equipped to handle what’s in front of me.
That’s why supervision remains essential, no matter how advanced you are. It’s the space where you can reflect on which Crucial Cs might be low, explore why, and begin to reclaim them. It’s not about fixing something—it’s about staying connected to your growth, your values, and your evolving identity as a therapist.
So if you ever catch yourself thinking, “I shouldn’t be struggling with this anymore,” pause. Ask yourself:
Which Crucial C might be missing right now?
And then bring that into supervision. That’s where the real work—and the real healing—happens.
References
Davys, A., & Beddoe, L. (2020). Best practice in professional supervision: A guide for the helping professions (2nd ed.). Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Corey, G., Haynes, R. H., Moulton, P., & Muratori, M. (2020). Clinical supervision in the helping professions: A practical guide. American Counselling Association.
Feeney, K., & Wassenaar, E. (2024). Enhancing supervisee development: Integrating the IDM and crucial Cs in supervision. Journal of Individual Psychology, 80(4), 265–274. https://doi.org/10.1353/jip.00012
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