Sexual Difficulties After Traumatic Brain Injury and Ways to Deal With It, Ronit Aloni & Shlomo Katz, eds, pp. 207, 2003. Price $47.95, ISBN 0-398-07367-8. Charles C. Thomas, Springfield.

Ronit Aloni, a sex therapist in Tel Aviv has developed a sex rehabilitation program at Loewenstein Rehabilitation Hospital in Israel. Her research culminated in a doctoral thesis at the Union Institute, Cincinnatti. Shlomo Katz is a professor of rehabilitation psychology at Bar-Ilan University in Israel. He was one of Aloni’s supervisors and has together with Aloni written the present book. The purpose of the book is to provide professionals with an understanding of the issues of sexuality after traumatic brain injuries (TBI). The book is divided into 2 sections: the first deals with identification and discussion of problems related to sexuality after TBI. The second, and major part, describes their sexual intervention program. The literature review, the description of physical and medical aspects of sexuality after TBI and the effect of TBI on the human sexual response does not contain much sexological or neurological information but instead contains a good deal of rehabilitation psychology. Some of the endocrinological data are outdated or misunderstood. The major part of the book, which covers intervention techniques, is however of great interest. The authors’ sexual intervention program is fully described and presents many valuable suggestions. One chapter contains an intervention program for staff, another an intervention with partners and family. The suggested intervention program with survivors of TBI is outlined in a series of 10 sessions, with goals, homework assignments, required social and intimate skills, dyadic social skills and so on. The most extensive chapter of the book deals with the use of surrogate therapy. It is based on Master & Johnson’s justification that one cannot learn about sexuality in any practical way without experiencing intimate behaviour with a partner. A surrogate is a member of a 3-way therapeutic team; the supervising therapist, the client and the surrogate. The rational behind the idea, the therapeutic process and the training of the surrogate is described in detail and a couple of case studies are presented. The authors seem convinced. However, surrogate therapy has not been used much in other countries. This book is recommended for libraries of rehabilitation psychology.