U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Benefits of a Self-Efficacy Approach to Substance Abuse Counseling in the Era of Managed Care

NCJ Number
182120
Journal
Journal of Addictions & Offender Counseling Volume: 20 Issue: 2 Dated: April 2000 Pages: 64-74
Author(s)
David Whittinghill; Laura R. Whittinghill; Larry C. Loesch
Editor(s)
Virginia A. Kelly
Date Published
April 2000
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This article considers the clinical value of self-efficacy concepts for substance abuse counselors practicing in a managed care environment and delineates how a self-efficacy approach can be adapted to provide time-limited or brief therapy substance abuse counseling.
Abstract
Self-efficacy is defined as an individual's belief in personal capability to mobilize the motivation, cognitive resources, and courses of action needed to exercise control over a variety of tasks. Resistance self-efficacy refers to an individual's perceived ability to withstand attempts to persuade him or her to use a recreational substance for the first time. Action self-efficacy is defined as a person's belief in his or ability to actualize the behaviors necessary to stop or reduce drug use. Individuals who successfully negotiate the action stage and achieve abstinence are often faced with high-risk situations that threaten their newly established self-efficacy, and many who achieve sobriety often experience setbacks or relapses in the quest to maintain long-term recovery. The advent of managed care has changed the practice of substance abuse counseling, particularly with respect to level of care, length of intervention, and measurement of outcome. The authors suggest that self-efficacy concepts can be successfully operationalized in the managed care environment to facilitate change in addictive behaviors. 36 references