Human Sexuality- Sex Surrogates Unit 7 - Essay Example

Human Sexuality - Are Sex Surrogates Considered as an Appropriate Component of Sex Therapy - Introduction According to the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality (SSSS), the use of sex surrogate is ethical provided that it is not prohibited by the law.1 Many times, the use of qualified and competent surrogate proves to be beneficial to the sex therapist and client in terms of increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the therapy.2 The professional relationship between the sex therapist and the surrogate is important and should always be maintained at a professional level. Failure to do so could eventually result to negative effects in the quality of therapy being delivered to the clients. In worst cases, it could lead to a possible spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Professional Responsibility of Sex Therapist and Surrogate Professionals in the field of sexuality are responsible in ensuring that the surrogates and the client are well informed of their each individual task prior to participation in the sexual therapy. Details regarding the risk of possible sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV, herpes, etc. should be discussed thoroughly to prevent possible problems throughout the length of the treatment. Allowing the involved parties about the possible transfer of sexually transmitted diseases will make them more aware and be extra careful not to go through beyond what is necessary for the therapy. In order to maintain a healthy relationship between the clients and the surrogates, safe sex guidelines and constant medical checkups are required.3 As soon as the sex therapist uses a surrogate partner as part of the sex therapy program; the surrogate should automatically take responsibility on the client’s welfare. It means that the surrogate should all the time keep the client’s information as confidential. Also, it should be clear to the surrogate not to act as the sexual therapist but to function only under the supervision of the sex therapist. It is the responsibility of the sex therapist to make sure that the surrogate is clear about his role and obligations as a surrogate partner. There is a code of ethics that is designed for the use of professional surrogates association.1 Therefore, all surrogates are obliged to act according to the appropriate and accepted professional ethics. In line with the use of a surrogate-assisted sex therapy, the clinical procedures should always be consistent with the SSSS admissions policy that surrogates must work only under the supervision of a licensed sex therapist. Facts Behind Surrogate Sex Therapy For more than fifty years, surrogate sex therapy is considered as a legitimate form of sexual therapy. The trained sexual partner known as surrogate aims to teach sexual exercises under the supervision of a sexual therapist. Therapy sessions are designed to increase the self-esteem as well as it teaches about relationship building and sexual intercourse under strict boundaries and limitations. Sex therapist discusses the main problem and issues with the client and recommends a solution to the problem. On the other hand, the surrogate acts as the sex personal trainer in demonstrating the sex methods live to the client. Each therapy sessions are conducted according to the highest ethical and professional standards based on the International Professional Surrogates Association (IPSA) and SSSS. The use of a surrogate in sex therapy has proven to be 90% successful in treating a wide range of sexual problems that are often caused by physiological disorders and chronic illnesses such as diabetes that causes damages to the nerves and other circulatory systems; chronic pain and fatigue due to arthritis; neurological diseases of the brain and spinal cord that are caused by multiple sclerosis (MS); the mild to severe lack of muscular control in patients with cerebral palsy; etc.4 All these factors could result to premature ejaculation, erectile dysfunction, anorgasmia, lack of performance, poor sexual technique due to inexperience and low desire for sex. A surrogate sex therapy is equally effective in treating specialized problems like sexual phobias. Conclusion I strongly agree that sex surrogates should be considered as an appropriate component of sex therapy. There is no easier way to teach different sex methods than to see and feel the right way to do it. If sex therapist would just simply recommend a solution to each client by word of mouth, it would simply mean that the client could just go straight to the bookstore to buy a sex related book and read. Patients with physiological disorders and chronic illnesses often have a lower self-esteem than the average people. This type of patients needs to feel accepted, loved, and cared for in order for them to respond positively with the sex therapy. Treating them with special care is one way to boost their self-confidence as an individual. In the absence of a sex surrogate, the sex therapy could not be as promising as it is today. A sex therapist giving clients some sex advices and guidelines to follow is definitely not as effective as actually showing them the right way of learning the right solutions to their problems. For this reason, sex therapist and surrogates should work together in order to achieve a more effective sex therapy for their clients. *** End *** References: 1 SSSS (2007) ‘About SSSS: Ethics Statement’ April 29, 2007 Retrieved: April 29, 2007 < http://www.sexscience.org/ > 2 Hubbard, W. (1998) ‘International Conference on Harmonization; Guidance on Statistical Principles for Clinical Trials; Availability’ Federal Register Volume 63, No. 179. September 16, 1998 p. 49587 Retrieved: April 29, 2007 < http://www.fda.gov/ > 3 D’Montford, S. ‘Surrogate Sex Therapy’ October 25, 2006 Retrieved: April 29, 2007 < http://www.havebettersex.com.au/ > 4 Crooks, R. and Baur, K. (2005) ‘Our Sexuality’ 9th Edition. Pacific Grove, CA: Wadsworth Group. pp. 431 - 433 Read More