Cheryl Cohen-Greene (born September 9, 1944) is an American sexual surrogate partner, speaker, and author, known for her work with American poet Mark O'Brien in 1986, before his death in 1999. She was portrayed in the film The Sessions by Helen Hunt, who received an Academy Award nomination for her performance.[1] In 2012, Cohen-Greene released her memoire, titled An Intimate Life: Sex, Love, and My Journey as a Surrogate Partner.[2][3]
Cheryl Cohen Greene | |
|---|---|
| Born | Cheryl Theriault September 9, 1944 |
| Occupation(s) | Sex Surrogate Partner, author, speaker |
| Years active | 1973–present |
Personal life
editCohen-Greene was raised in Salem, Massachusetts, the daughter of Virginia (née Cote 1924–2002) and Robert Theriault (1921–2012). She has two brothers, David, a dentist, and Peter, an artist. She was raised Roman Catholic and converted to Judaism after marrying her first husband, Michael Cohen in 1964. They had an open marriage. Cohen-Greene has a son, Allan, and a daughter, Jessica, from her first marriage, and several grandchildren. Her second husband is Bob Greene, a former client, Vietnam war veteran, and retired postal worker. She began working as a sex surrogate partner in 1973 and also worked as a nude artist's model. She is a breast cancer and lymphoma survivor and also has dyslexia.[4] Cohen-Greene graduated from Salem High School and then attended the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality in San Francisco.[5][6][7]
Career
editShe first thought of becoming a sex surrogate partner after reading Surrogate Wife: The Story of a Masters & Johnson Sexual Therapist and the Nine Cases She Treated by Valerie Scott. In 1973 she took San Francisco Sex Information's (SFSI) training, and was a member of their training staff for 20 years. She studied the work of Masters and Johnson, and works with many of the San Francisco Bay Area's premiere sex therapists.
Cohen Greene is a certified Clinical Sexologist and a sex surrogate partner. Her official title is Surrogate Partner Therapist. She is a member of IPSA (International Professional Surrogates Association). In October 2004 she received her 'Doctorate in Human Sexuality' from the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality in San Francisco. She has stated about her profession: "People have asked me over the years, 'How do you work with people who are differently abled?' I always say, it's not hard for me. I just have to learn what their special needs are." She has appeared on shows like Larry King Live, the Joy Behar Show and The Jeff Probst Show discussing her profession.[8] The National Geographic show Taboo's episode "Forbidden Love" (Season 7, Episode 6, first aired 2011) featured her in one of its segments.[9] Also, the Discovery Fit & Health documentary My Sex Surrogate, first aired in 2013, follows a woman and a man as they each work with a sex surrogate; she was the surrogate who worked with the man.[10][11][12]
References
edit- ^ The Sessions: Cheryl Cohen Greene Is The Woman Behind..., NZ: Stuff, 14 December 2012.
- ^ "An interview with Cheryl Cohen Greene", The Phoenix, 2012-10-25
- ^ "Sex Surrogate Cheryl Cohen Greene, 68: I've Slept With Over 900 People", jobs.aol.com.
- ^ Kaufman, Amy (November 26, 2012), "Her sex 'Sessions' became a movie", The Los Angeles Times, p. 2, archived from the original on May 3, 2014.
- ^ Guthmann, Edward (2012-01-10), "Surrogate sex partner inspires story, film", SFGate
- ^ "Celebrity Jews", J weekly, November 2012.
- ^ "Robert A. Theriault". 26 April 2012. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 2014-10-08.
- ^ "Adams on Reel Women: Cheryl Cohen Greene and Helen Hunt fete 'The Sessions'", The Reel Breakdown, Yahoo! Movies, 22 October 2012.
- ^ "Taboo: Forbidden Love". National Geographic Channel.
- ^ "City woman helps clients resolve issues with intimacy", The Daily Californian, 2012-02-01.
- ^ "Sex Surrogate Cheryl Cohen Greene Discusses Her Memoir That Inspired 'The Sessions'", East Bay Express, 31 October 2012
- ^ "Getting intimate with sex surrogate Cheryl Cohen Greene", Daily Loaf, 2012-11-20.