FAQs
1. Do I need to buy a license?
2. I work with two other dietitians... Do we have to buy three licenses?
3. What experience do I need to use Craving Change™?
4. Why is the Facilitator’s Kit written in a workshop format?
5. What does a Craving Change™ workshop actually look like?
6. What’s the difference between the Workbook and the worksheets?
7. Can I buy the materials and copy them for my clients and colleagues?
9. What is stepped care?
10. Do I need to be a therapist to use these techniques?
11. I love the name! Can I use it in my practice?
12. Can I get my money back if I want to return resources?
13. Is Craving Change™ a weight loss program?
14. Is Craving Change™ a treatment for eating disorders?
15. Can you show me evidence that backs up the Craving Change™ approach?
1. Do I need to buy a license to use the materials?
Yes. Craving Change™ is a licensed and trademarked program. Anyone wishing to own or use the materials with their clients must purchase a license. The license addresses issues such as how the materials and the name "Craving Change™" may be used. A copy of this legal agreement can be downloaded from the "Order Products" page. A copy is also included with your order. If you have any questions, please contact info@cravingchange.ca
The cost of the license includes a Facilitator’s Kit ($95.00 CAD). There are no renewal or royalty fees. This cost is significantly less expensive than most other licensed health care programs. Once you purchase a Facilitator’s Kit and license, you are welcome to order from our range of products which includes Client Workbooks, Fridge Magnets, and a CD of 12 handouts translated into French.
Please note that the license is non-transferable - meaning that there is one license per practitioner - resources may not be shared. Discounts are available for 3 or more orders. Further, the license is between Craving Change ™ and individual practitioners (not your organization), so it stays with you throughout your career as long as you adhere with the conditions.
2. I work with two other dietitians and we’re all interested in using the materials in our practice. Do we have to buy three licenses?
Yes. (We believe that in the end you’ll all be glad you did - in addition to the license you are receiving 8 hours worth of scripts, activities, handouts, powerpoint slides, and evaluation forms, and your own copy to explore, make notes in, and integrate into your practice for the rest of your career - all for $95.00 each)
3. What experience do I need to use Craving Change™?
It is not necessary to take a Professional Training Workshop to facilitate Craving Change™ or to purchase a license and Facilitator’s Kit.
Craving Change™ is designed to be helpful for a number of different professionals, such as dietitians, nurses, physicians, social workers, and psychologists. It was designed by a registered dietitian and psychologist.
Craving Change™ is a skills-based psychoeducational program that uses self-awareness tools and guided discussions. The program does not give dietary advice, it is not psychotherapy, and it does not provide education on specific health conditions (e.g. diabetes). Craving Change™ was designed to be used by individuals who belong to a regulated health care profession.
4. Why is the Facilitator’s Kit written in a workshop format?
Because group work, works! You are encouraged to consider using the concepts and materials in Craving Change™ in your individual practice, however some of the advantages to offering the Craving Change™ program in a group format include:
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It’s much easier to adapt the material presented in the workshop format to your individual practice needs than to take over a dozen strategies and countless recommendations and design your own workshop. The background, advice, and paraphrased information prepares you to present the material clearly and confidently, whether it’s to 15 clients or one individual.
5. What does a Craving Change™ workshop actually look like?
We recommend 8-18 participants as an ideal size for a Craving Change™ workshop. The material takes approximately 8 hours to facilitate, that we recommend breaking down into 3, 4, or 6 sessions. The Facilitator’s Manual is written as though you are facilitating the program over 3 sessions, and suggestions for changing the format to a 4 or 6-session workshop are provided on the CD-ROM. You are encouraged to adjust the format as needed to meet your own or your organization’s needs.
The workshop uses a variety of techniques, including guided, interactive discussions, brainstorming activities, brief written exercises, and homework tasks. We strongly encourage a relaxed atmosphere with no “lecture” component. Materials spanning the entire workshop are prepared for you as overhead projector masters or power point slides. The slides provide very brief information and should be used sparingly, with the focus instead being on thought-provoking, relaxed group discussion.
Participants should receive either their own copy of the Client Workbook, or stand-alone worksheets copied from the CD-ROM.
6. What’s the difference between the Client Workbook and the worksheets?
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The Client Workbook is a 56-page resource that can be purchased for your clients. It is a bound booklet with a colour cover available at a cost we’ve strived to make as accessible as possible for you and your clients (5 dollars each, plus tax, shipping and handling). The Client Workbook can be used as a supplement in your work with individual clients, or in Craving Change™ workshops. A sample workbook is included in the Facilitator’s Kit. Please note that copying any information out of the Client Workbook is strictly prohibited by law. If you want to use materials from this resource with your clients, you must purchase copies of the workbook for your practice. The workbook is designed to be a helpful resource for your clients while you’re working with them. It can also be a handy reference to refer back to for years to come. If you’re working with groups, we believe that each participant will get the most benefit from the program if they have their own copy of the Client Workbook. The Client Workbook includes: |
- Key messages from the program.
- Activity and self-awareness worksheets.
- A how-to guide outlining how to apply more than a dozen different strategies for changing problematic eating.
- Short personal stories from people who have shared their struggles with food.
If purchasing Client Workbooks is not an option for you or your organization, or you only wish to “pick and choose” from various Craving Change™ activities and strategies, the stand-alone worksheets may be the answer for you. Thirteen stand-alone worksheets spanning various components of the program are available on the CD-ROM in the Facilitator’s Kit. You are free to reproduce these selected workbook worksheets for your clients. All other materials on the CD-ROM are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced in any format.
7. Can I buy a copy of the materials and photocopy them for my clients and colleagues?
The CD-ROM includes 12 stand-alone worksheets and evaluation forms that you are welcome to print and distribute to your clients.
Under the conditions of the license agreement, you are not permitted to share these forms with your colleagues - they need their own license agreement to use the materials.
The Facilitator’s Manual, Client Workbook, and workshop organization and facilitation tips on the CD-ROM are protected under copyright law and must not be copied or reproduced in any manner.
[anchor=8. What does “a cognitive-behavioural approach” mean?]]8. What does “a cognitive-behavioural approach” mean?
The cognitive-behavioural model is one approach to try to explain human behaviour. The cognitive-behavioural model examines the link between how we behave, how we feel, and how we think. It argues that how we act (behave) is strongly inter-related with our thoughts and emotions. In other words, our eating behaviour is not only influenced by external factors such as portions and availability, but also by internal factors such as how we think and how we feel.
The Craving Change™ program reviews both external and internal factors that have been clearly demonstrated by research to affect what, how much, and when people eat. We know that those who frequently eat in response to internal cues have been shown to lose less weight than those who are influenced more by external cues. These “emotional eaters” are more likely to regain weight they have lost. A 2005 Cochrane review concluded that cognitive-behavioural therapy and behavioural therapy significantly improved the success of weight loss programs. While Craving Change™ does NOT teach you how to conduct therapy, it does teach you how to responsibly integrate strategies based on a cognitive-behavioural approach into your practice.
Demand for specialized psychosocial services for those who struggle with their eating far outstrips available resources. Several authors have suggested a stepped-care approach as a strategy to address this crisis. The stepped-care approach asserts that a significant number of people will benefit from a general intervention provided by educated professionals who are not necessarily experts in problematic eating. Clients who are identified as requiring more intensive individualized services at the end of the intervention are then encouraged to follow up with additional specialized resources.
We believe that Craving Change™ is an appropriate program for this initial step as a general intervention.
10. Do I need to be a therapist to use cognitive-behavioural techniques?
Yes and no. We believe that a wide range of professionals can use techniques born from a cognitive-behavioural approach in their work with their clients, IF they work within their scope of practice and remain vigilant to the limits of their competence.
For example, there is a considerable difference between teaching a group how to reframe repetitive negative thoughts into more positive or realistic thoughts, versus probing a group to think about the roots of their negative thinking and uncover core beliefs. The former is appropriate in Craving Change™, the latter is not. Craving Change™ does NOT give you license to “dig deep” into your clients’ very personal thoughts and feelings and the roots of those thoughts and feelings. However, it does teach you to teach your clients how to become more aware of thoughts and emotions that might be triggering problematic eating.
The Craving Change™ Facilitator’s Kit attempts to outline this distinction several times throughout the program, and very specific guidelines are given for the group discussions to responsibly contain group discussions.
That being said, if you are a registered psychologist or social worker trained in providing psychotherapy, feel free to incorporate Craving Change™ materials into a psychotherapeutic program as you see fit.
11. I love the name! Can I use it in my practice?
The details of how the name "Craving Change™" may be used are contained in the license.
In short, if you wish to incorporate some of the materials from your Facilitator’s Kit into your existing program you are welcome to do so, but you may not call your entire program "Craving Change" as it is a trademarked name. If you run a workshop program as written and outlined in the Facilitator’s Kit, you are welcome to call your program "Craving Change™".
12. Can I get my money back if I want to return resources?
No. Purchases of Craving Change written materials are final.
13. Is Craving Change™ a weight loss program?
No. Research has clearly demonstrated that the most effective weight loss programs include information about a healthy, reduced energy intake and increased physical activity. Craving Change™ does not include these components.
However, including behaviour modification and cognitive behavioural techniques similar to those used in Craving Change™ has been shown to enhance weight loss and long-term weight maintenance when combined with weight-loss regimens. (We’d be very keen to partner with an organization interested in conducting research evaluating the potential benefits of incorporating Craving Change™ into a healthy, evidence-based weight loss program – please contact us if you’re interested.)
14. Is the Craving Change™ program a treatment for eating disorders?
No. The program is not a treatment for someone diagnosed with an eating disorder or someone with a significant psychiatric condition. While many of the techniques used in the program are similar to those found in eating disorder treatment programs, such treatment requires extensive professional training and significant interdisciplinary collaboration. We do not provide that training.
However, there are a significant number of people who are in distress about their eating habits, yet do not meet diagnostic criteria for an eating disorder. We believe that Craving Change™ is an ideal intervention for many of these people.
15. Can you direct me to some evidence that backs up the Craving Change™ approach?
Sure.
Affenito SG, Backstrand, JR, Welch, GW, Lammi-Keefe, CJ, Rodriguez, NR, & Adams, CH. Subclinical and clinical eating disorders in IDDM negatively affect metabolic control. Diabetes Care. 1997; 20: 182-184.