Session 1: Beyond Symptom Management: Foundations of Whole Health Recovery and Self-Management

Recovery is increasingly recognized as a whole-person process that extends beyond the reduction of psychiatric symptoms or substance use. Individuals living with serious mental illness and substance use disorders frequently experience multiple chronic medical conditions, reduced life expectancy, fragmented care, and challenges created by stigma and other determinants of health. Successful recovery therefore requires the knowledge, skills, confidence, and support needed to actively manage both behavioral and physical health over time. This training, hosted by the Central East Addiction Technology Transfer Center Network, introduces participants to the scientific foundations of medical and psychiatric self-management within a recovery-oriented framework. Participants will examine the evidence supporting whole health approaches, including self-efficacy, patient activation, recovery capital, and person-centered care. Drawing upon SAMHSA's recovery principles and the Eight Dimensions of Wellness, participants will explore how integrated self-management strategies improve health outcomes, promote resilience, and strengthen long-term recovery for individuals with behavioral health conditions. This is Session 1 of a three-part professional development series, "Whole Health Recovery: Advancing Medical and Psychiatric Chronic Disease Self-Management Series".

Learning Objectives

By the conclusion of this training, participants will be able to:

• Describe the scientific principles underlying whole health recovery and explain how medical and psychiatric self-management contribute to long-term recovery outcomes.
• Explain the relationships among chronic medical conditions, behavioral health disorders, determinants of health, and recovery using current evidence and SAMHSA's recovery framework.
• Differentiate key concepts including self-management, patient activation, self-efficacy, recovery capital, person-centered care, and discuss their application in behavioral health practice.
• Apply recovery-oriented principles to develop collaborative, whole-person care plans that support physical health, behavioral health, and community participation.