The concept of surrogate partners grew out of the work of Masters and Johnson in the mid-1960s. Their initial research centered on understanding and improving the sex lives of married couples. Eventually their work addressed the issue of helping un-partnered individuals treat their sexual dysfunction. As necessity is the mother of invention, they recruited an untrained group of women to aid these single individuals in resolving their sexual problems. Masters and Johnson created a mechanical approach to sexuality, devoid of emotional intimacy. This book seeks to present the human face of a profession that has been shrouded in myths, misconceptions, and negative judgments. Rather than hearing the words of sexual robots, the participants reflect competence, intelligence (please see paragraph below), compassion, and wisdom. It is a profession that requires the ability to think and feel; to analyze and participate; to become emotionally involved yet maintain professional boundaries. Over the past four decades, surrogate partner therapy has grown to combine social therapeutic modalities in addition to sexual therapeutic techniques. This book utilizes, in part, the approach of interviewing 25 current and former surrogate partners to examine, compare, and contrast their experiences. It seeks to present the skills of surrogates as opposed to the sexual sensationalism which clouds objective evaluation of the subject. In addition to the interviews there are several relevant articles, being used with permission, exploring the work of other surrogates.
About the Author: Dr. Feder received her undergraduate degree in psychology from Ohio University. She worked as a social worker and community organizer for one of the largest family mental health agencies in Los Angeles. In pursuit of an advanced degree on the graduate level, she studied psychology at Antioch University at its Marina Del Rey campus in Los Angeles, California. Dr. Feder then completed her studies at the Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Sexuality where she received her Ph.D. She is also a credentialed Sex Educator and Clinical Sexologist. She has continued post-graduate studies in psychology and human sexuality at UCLA. She maintains a private practice in West Los Angeles. She is a nationally recognized expert in human sexuality, particularly sexual dysfunction. She works primarily with the behavioral "sensate focus" approach pioneered by sex researchers Masters and Johnson. Her practice includes couples, singles, men, and women. She is also a certified dating coach, which enables her to work with shy clients to help them develop their social skills. She is a member of the American College of Sexologists. She is the author of eight books.