Sexual Surrogacy Revisited
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February 2013 contemporary Vol. 47. No. 1 American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists sexuality The international resource for educators, researchers and therapists In this issue... Sexual Surrogacy In Memoriam Revisited Douglas Kirby ......... 6 Letter from the President ................ 7 The Sessions is garnering Oscar buzz for do and where they fit into the rubric of helping pro- actors Helen Hunt, who plays real life sexual fessionals who work on sexuality and sexual health. Regional News ........ 8 surrogate Cheryl Cohen-Greene, and John This confusion is fostered by a lack of public and professional discussion. Masters and John- Quick Hits .............. 9 Hawkes, who portrays the late poet and journalist Mark O’Brien. The film is also son set the tone early on, writing only briefly and Reviews ................ 11 bringing the issue of sexual surrogacy back to vaguely about SPT and remaining cautious when the attention of the general public and prurient talking about it in public, something that seems News of Members 12 journalists. And sexuality professionals too. to have been the result of legal concerns that con- Congratulations tinue to plague the profession today. What’s more, to newly certified ince the early 1970s when Masters and John- SPT was and remains a relatively uncommon prac- members son wrote about their work with “partner tice. At the height of its popularity, there were at surrogates,” the practice of sexual surroga- Member Profiles ... 13 S most a few hundred surrogate partners working in cy, or Surrogate Partner Therapy (SPT) as it’s now the U.S. Now the number is closer to a few dozen. known, has been highly controversial and widely Call for Award A recent meeting of surrogate partners in Florida misunderstood both inside and outside of sexuality Nominations ......... 15 attracted 25 attendees. helping professions. It’s too bad. Because everyone who stands to The cause for controversy is not surprising Continuing gain from the practice of SPT loses when people to any of us who work in the areas of sexuality Education don’t talk about it. Lack of discussion makes it Opportunities ....... 16 and sexual health. Social and institutional anxi- harder for clients to access a qualified professional. ety about sexuality means that any professional It increases confusion for therapists who may be activity involving sexuality is considered suspect. interested in working with a surrogate partner but The closer that activity gets to sexual intimacy and aren’t sure how to assess the benefits and risks of explicit sexual behavior, the more suspicious it be- the practice. And it makes it more difficult and comes. A sex educator talking to a room full of less safe for certified surrogate partners to do the people arouses a certain level of suspicion, a sex work they believe in, in an environment in which therapist working in a private practice with a cou- they are respected as professionals and in which ple around non-monogamy arouses another. Vari- they are able to develop professionally. ous forms of sex work are subject to the greatest Following the release of The Sessions, and a level of suspicion, mistrust, and derision, even in subsequent highly charged thread it instigated places where they are legal. on the AASECT listserv, Contemporary Sexuality For forty years, surrogates have tried to carve thought it was a good time to address the topic, out their own professional space alongside those at least in our own world of sexuality profession- three professions, but they continue to find them- als. For some this may be a refresher, for others it selves ambiguously positioned somewhere between might be new information. We hope it encourages them. To make matters more complicated, many, thoughtful discussion about SPT, regardless of possibly most, of the professionals around them are your position in relation to the practice. If you’re also unclear as to what exactly surrogate partners What We Publish contemporary Contemporary Sexuality publishes information under the th following categories. Deadline for submission is the 5 sexualityFounder Patricia Schiller, MA, JD of the month. Please note that due to space constraints, AASECT Board of Directors we might not always have room to publish every President P. Michele Sugg, MSW announcement. President Elect Konstance McCaffree, PhD Secretary Richard Siegel, MA, LMHC Treasurer Triste Brooks, MA News of Members Membership Steering Chair Stephanie Buehler, PsyD Related-content book and journal article publications, Certification Steering Chair Jo Marie Kessler, MS,NP Outreach Steering Chair Sabitha Pillai-Friedman, MSW, PhD degrees conferred, significant awards, members who Public Relations, Media & have taken on positions in other related organizations, Advocacy Steering Chair Megan Andelloux, BA death of a member. Professional Education Send news of members to: [email protected] Steering Chair Joan Sughrue, MEd, BSN, RN Communications Steering Chair Sallie Foley, LMSW Regional News Immediate Past President William W. Finger, PhD Talks, presentations, keynotes, regional get-togethers. Regional Representatives Send regional news to: [email protected] Eastern Region Linda Lotz, MSW, PhD Mid-Continent Region Joe Kort, PhD, LMSW Western Region Alexandra Katechakis, MA Continuing Education International Region Talli Rosenbaum, Msc, PT AASECT sponsored and AASECT approved CE activities. President’s Committees Send to CE opportunities to AASECT office:[email protected] Personnel Committee Chair Catherine Ravella, PhD Ethics Advisory Committee Chair Peggy Kleinplatz, PhD Awards Committee Chair Dennis Sugrue, PhD Bylaws Committee Chair Russell J. Stambaugh, PhD Nominations Committee Chair William Stayton, ThD, PhD How to contact AASECT Certification Committee Chairs board members Sexuality Counselors Mitchell S. Tepper, PhD, MPH Sexuality Educators Lis Maurer, MS Can’t find what you’re looking for on the website? Sex Therapists Linda DeVillers, PhD Supervisors Gretchen Fincke, MSSW Can’t get a question answered through your section Contemporary Sexuality leader or regional representative? Listserv members Editor-in-Chief Sorah Stein, MA, BCBA don’t have the answers? Feel free to contact a board Coordinator for Books & member directly at: Media Reviews Chris Flynn, PhD Editor for CE Articles Gina Ogden, PhD President Michele Sugg, [email protected] Editorial Advisors Elizabeth Boskey, PhD, MPH; Janet Greenhut, President Elect Konstance McCaffree, MD, MPH; Debra Herbenick, PhD, MPH; Marty Klein, PhD; Dug Lee, MA, LMHC, CMHS; Fran Secretary Ricky Siegel, [email protected] cis Tuffour, MA; Beverly Whipple, PhD, RN, FAAN Senior Writer Cory Silverberg, M.Ed. Treasurer Triste Brooks, [email protected] Staff Membership Steering Chair Stephanie Buehler Executive Director Dee Ann Walker, CAE Director, Education & [email protected] Membership Alphonsus Baggett, MEd Certification Steering Chair Jo Marie Kessler, Membership Coordinator Janet Huynh [email protected] Contemporary Sexuality is a monthly publication of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists, 1444 I Street NW, Suite 700,Washington, DC 20005; Outreach Steering Chair Sabitha Pillai-Friedman, phone: 202-449-1099; fax: 202-216-9646. Please address all membership and subscription [email protected] queries and editorial correspondence to this address. If you have comments, please contact Editor-in-Chief Sorah Stein at [email protected]. Professional Education Steering Chair Joan Sughrue, © 2013 The American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists. All- [email protected] rights reserved. The views expressed in Contemporary Sexuality represent individual opin- ions; they do not represent the official opinions of AASECT, its Board of Directors or its staff. Public Relations, Media and Advocacy Steering Chair Megan Andelloux, [email protected] COPYRIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS: Written permission must be obtained from the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC), UMI Company, or UnCover Company for copying Communications Steering Chair Sallie Foley, articles/parts of articles. Contact: CCC, (508) 750-8400; UMI, (800) 521-0600; or Un- Cover (800) 787-7979. Those desiring to use articles for classroom use should contact [email protected] CCC. Permissions for republication of quotes, charts, tables, figures and pages of text are normally granted contingent upon similar permission from the author(s), inclusion of ac- knowledgment of the original source, and payment to CCC of the appropriate fee. Queries regarding permissions and fees should be directed to Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danver, MA 01923, U.S.A., phone (508) 750-8400, fax (508) 750-4744, e-mail: [email protected]. Sexual Surrogacy Revisited interested in becoming part of an organizational and boundaries around physical touch and safer conversation about SPT you’ll find contact infor- sex are explained. By the third or fourth session, mation at the end of this article. clothes come off and work focuses on body im- age and increasing the client’s comfort with their What Is Surrogate Partner Therapy? own and a partner’s naked bodies. Sessions three In the late 1970s a group of surrogates began a through six are conducted primarily in the nude support group. Their work involved sexual inti- and include guided touch exercises in which the cli- macy and touch, they found clients only through ent is encouraged