What is Surrogate Partner Therapy?

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Surrogate Partner Therapy is a therapy modality in which a surrogate partner works in conjunction with a talk therapist in order to help create hands-on experiential opportunities for clients to learn, grow and heal in regards to overcoming challenges pertaining to sexuality and intimacy. The surrogate partner works from the neck down, while the talk therapist works from the neck up. SPT utilizes a triadic model involving the close coordination of surrogate partner, therapist and client. Each carries an important responsibility and is indispensable to the process along with the accountability of the other parties. Surrogate partner therapy was developed in St. Louis in the 1960s by human sexuality researchers Masters and Johnson. Masters and Johnson sought out results and a safer modality which was resistant to the unfortunate abuses that are so common when trust and power dynamics enter the sexual domain and are not checked by a third party. Surrogate Partner Therapy is a beautiful marriage of “eastern” mindfulness and presence and “western” scientific methodology.