Craving Change Inc. is a Canadian business created in 2008 and owned by registered dietitian Wendy Shah and clinical psychologist Dr. Colleen Cannon. For a summary of the evidence underlying the key foundations of Craving Change®, download Roots and Outcomes.
In a few short years, Craving Change caught on like wildfire! Craving Change has become the number one cognitive-behavioural program for problematic eating in Canada, with licenses now available internationally. Thousands of health care professionals and countless clients can’t stop raving about the unique and positive impact of Craving Change. We’re very proud that Craving Change is recommended as a Professional Tool and Resource with PEN (Practice-based Evidence in Nutrition), a global online nutrition database of information and resources for health professionals.
Currently, over 2700 clinicians across every province and territory in Canada have become licensed, and over 50 000 workbooks have been purchased for providers’ clients/patients. We also hold 3-year Organization Licenses with 16 agencies across Canada, including Family Health Teams, Primary Care Networks, University Health Services, and Regional Health Authorities. So far of the 12 agencies whose 3-yr licenses have come up for renewal, 11 have opted to extend their license for at least another 3 years (the other 5 are still working within their first 3-year term).
The company is well respected and highly praised by international experts in the fields of chronic disease management, weight management, and health behaviour change. Go to our Reviews page to read their accolades and see and hear what others are saying. After dozens of presentations at local, regional, provincial, and national events, Wendy and Colleen were delighted to be invited to present to colleagues beyond Canada starting in 2016. This includes a (sold out!) workshop at the Dietitians Association of Australia 2016 National Conference, and more recently at the 2019 SCAN Symposium in Phoenix. Wendy also presented at the 2016 International Congress of Dietetics in Spain.
Corporate connections? Craving Change Inc. can provide expertise, brand recognition, and professional and business credibility for corporate alliances. The company just wrapped up a multi-year contract with a medical parts provider for bariatric surgery, providing website content, client newsletters, blog posts, and App content. Drop us a note to discuss your needs.
About the Co-Founders
Colleen is a clinical psychologist who is passionate about health psychology! She has been exploring the dance between psychological well-being and physical well-being her entire career.
Colleen completed her PhD from Queen’s University in clinical psychology, and her dissertation focused on depression symptoms in people with chronic pain. While in Kingston, Colleen also began working with survivors of sexual assault and trauma. The learnings from this work are countless, and have had a direct impact on her values. First and foremost, “no judgement”. Colleen believes that health and wellness education must be grounded in the context of people’s lives and personal goals. She is a vocal advocate for the importance of knowing and understanding the very real implications of the social determinants of health.
Colleen has pursued her love of exploring the psychology of eating for 20+ years. She completed her postdoctoral internship at the “new” (1998) eating disorders program at Ottawa General Hospital, and joined the Academy for Eating Disorders in 1999. Since 2000 her primary focus has been developing effective interventions to address the unmet needs of people with subclinical disordered eating. That is, people struggling in their relationship with food and how they use food, yet who do not meet standard diagnostic criteria for an ‘eating disorder’. In 2000 she co-developed a workshop entitled, “Just 5 More Pounds” about emotional eating, the diet circus, and media literacy/body image. A few years later, Colleen was thrilled to partner with Wendy Shah, RD in designing and implementing tools that make sense, and make a difference.
For the last 15 years, Colleen has brought these skills and passion into numerous public and private health care clinics in Calgary and Vancouver. These include diabetes, hypertension and cholesterol clinics, cardiac rehabilitation, and heart transplantation. In all settings, in addition to core clinical responsibilities Colleen has taken the lead in multidisciplinary collaboration, implementing more efficient service delivery models, research collaboration, graduate student supervision and liaising with community-based providers. She loves presenting and has spoken professionally at regional, provincial, national, and international events. She currently maintains a part time private practice in Vancouver, BC.
Colleen was an Adjunct Professor in the University of Calgary Department Of Psychology from 2008-2011. She was an active member of the Clinical Research Steering Committee at the Cardiac Wellness Institute in Calgary AB from 2004-2009 and she played a key role in developing a cohesive strategy for managing chronic diseases in Alberta as an active member of the Clinical Support Services Adult Lifestyle Education Committee and the Chronic Disease Management Curriculum Redesign Committee. Colleen was a reviewer of the ‘Behavioural and Psychosocial Issues’ Chapter of the Canadian Guidelines for Cardiac Rehabilitation and Cardiovascular Disease Prevention (J. Stone, Editor in Chief).
Award-winning and nationally recognized, Wendy is described as creative, cutting edge, experienced, and respected. She is a leader among her colleagues in Canada developing innovative ways to excite both individuals and professionals about nutrition and eating. Having worked as a Registered Dietitian in the area of chronic disease management for 40 years, she has always had a strong interest in the psychosocial and environmental factors that influence our eating behaviors. In collaboration with clinical psychologist Dr. Colleen Cannon, Wendy has inspired and trained clinicians to help their clients ‘change their eating habits by changing their thinking habits’.
Wendy’s original and progressive work was acknowledged with the Dietitians of Canada Member Recognition Award for Innovation in 2017. Dietitians repeatedly congratulate Wendy for developing the Craving Change® program which has “transformed the profession!” As an advocate for self-efficacy, Wendy was a Master Trainer with the Stanford Chronic Disease Self-management program for over ten years. Her other national awards include the Certificate of Excellence for her contribution to the Blood Pressure Canada Public Education task force and the regional Speaking of Food and Healthy Living Award: Excellence in Consumer Communication.
Recognized for her outstanding ability to write with an entertaining and thought-provoking style, Wendy has written articles for consumers and for local, national and international professional publications. She has presented webinars and been invited to speak at a variety of national and international conferences. Still true to her vision, Wendy’s recent focus is to promote eating self-awareness and a positive relationship with food to children and the adults who influence them. She self-published an illustrated children’s book that has received rave reviews.
