What Is Self-Efficacy and How Does It Support Recovery?

Individuals who feel more capable of managing substance use disorder (SUD) often report better treatment outcomes. Self-efficacy promotes recovery by motivating clients and improving self-confidence. According to Addictive Behaviors, “In recent decades, there has been a growing number of studies demonstrating the importance of self-efficacy as a predictor and/or mediator of treatment effects in various domains, such as [. . .] chronic medical conditions, psychopathology, and addictive disorders. ” West Coast Recovery Centers uses evidence-based and alternative holistic therapies to support recovery and help clients gain the necessary skills to improve self-efficacy. 

What Is Self-Efficacy?

Self-efficacy is a skill people build over time that impacts how confident they feel in their ability to achieve personal goals. According to Health Psychology Review, “Self-efficacy—defined as perceived capability to perform a target behaviour —is a robust predictor of various health behaviours, including physical activity, healthy eating, smoking cessation, [and] alcohol abstinence." People often feel more self-confident if they achieve personal goals and build essential skills. 

Everyone has moments where they may feel overwhelmed or uncertain about what next step to take. Clients with high self-efficacy encounter those moments, and instead of feeling anxious, scared, or helpless, they believe in themselves and their ability to use coping skills and recovery resources to find a positive path forward. Self-efficacy builds resilience and improves treatment outcomes for individuals recovering from chronic substance abuse.

Why Is Self-Efficacy Important to Recovery?

Treatment programs prepare clients for long-term recovery by providing essential skills and resources. Clients use these tools to overcome unexpected situations and challenges in early recovery. Individuals with increased self-efficacy find it easier to implement the techniques and coping skills they learn in treatment.

Building resilience and improving self-efficacy provides clients with a solid foundation for recovery. According to the North American Journal of Psychology, “Research on the relationship between substance abuse and self efficacy has supported the significance of self efficacy in the recovery process.” Studies have also reported that “100% confidence in ability to abstain from substance use [is] the strongest predictor of abstinence at one year follow up.” 

Individuals with high self-efficacy believe they can overcome any challenges, giving them the confidence to achieve their recovery goals. The experts at West Coast Recovery Centers teach clients essential coping skills to improve self-confidence and self-efficacy. 

Self-Efficacy and Self-Confidence Support Long-Term Recovery

Increased self-efficacy and self-confidence allow people to feel comfortable setting personal boundaries, making lifestyle changes, and developing new patterns of thought or behavior. Changing how a person sees themselves and others can have a profound positive effect on mental health. Clients often feel more willing to open up if they feel confident in their ability to cope with how people may respond to them. 

Self-confidence also reduces the risk of relapse by doing the following: 

• Increasing resilience
• Building self-esteem 
• Improving self-awareness 
• Increasing self-accountability
• Reducing social anxiety
• Decreasing overall stress 

Clients with high self-efficacy are less likely to let challenges in recovery affect their treatment outcome. For example, they may experience a stressful life event, and instead of turning to past maladaptive coping mechanisms, they feel confident enough to ask for help from their support system. 

Support Recovery by Building Skills and Social Connections

Creating a social support network and trusting relationships is a reliable way to increase self-efficacy, self-confidence, self-esteem, and resilience. According to the previously mentioned article in the North American Journal of Psychology, researchers found people living in a supportive community reported that “mutual support (Reciprocal Responsibility) was positively and significantly related to higher self-efficacy.” West Coast Recovery Centers prioritizes peer support and encourages clients to build strong relationships to improve the effectiveness of treatment. 

Creating healthy social connections increases self-confidence and self-esteem by doing the following: 

• Helping people feel more in control of their lives and relationships 
• Providing people with a space to process and explore various aspects of recovery 
• Validating thoughts, feelings, and experiences 
• Encouraging people to practice more effective communication  

Treatment programs offer peer support to help clients learn, grow, and achieve recovery goals. The experts at West Coast Recovery Centers use group therapy and community activities to guide clients through connecting on a deeper level. 

Programs at West Coast Recovery Centers Support Recovery With Skill Development

Self-efficacy increases over time as clients become more comfortable with recovery and the realities of sobriety. Greater self-efficacy reduces the risk of relapse and assists clients in coping with challenges related to recovery. According to Addiction and Health, “[S]elf-efficacy has a central role in regulation of emotional states." In addition, “self-efficacy beliefs make people able to interpret potentially threatening expectations as manageable significant challenges and help them feel less stressful in such situations.” 

Treatment programs at West Coast Recovery Centers provide clients with social support and skill development to improve resilience and self-efficacy. Some of the services include: 

• Psychoeducation 
• Psychotherapy 
• Case management 
• Self-help groups 

The care team works with clients and their loved ones to determine how to build social support and self-confidence during treatment and aftercare. 

Managing recovery and creating healthier routines is easier when clients feel confident about their ability to utilize coping skills. Individuals in treatment develop the skills and resources to manage situations they may encounter during early recovery. Clients increase their self-efficacy by gaining new information and tools. Clinicians use evidence-based and alternative holistic therapies to provide clients with the skill development and education they need to understand their condition and build self-efficacy. West Coast Recovery Centers offers clients a safe space and structure programs where they can learn to effectively manage their disorder and gain confidence in their ability to overcome any future challenges. To learn more about our programs and services, call our office today at (760) 492-6509.