Joey Guzman-Kuffel, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Founder of Counseling with Joey, Dad via Surrogacy, and a Magic Maker

“Being a gay man, I didn’t know if I was even going to get married or if I was going to be able to have kids,” Joey Guzman-Kuffel shared, reflecting on a time when the idea of fatherhood felt uncertain. Like many gay men of his generation, he grew up unsure whether marriage or parenthood would even be possible.

When he met his husband, those possibilities began to feel real. Both came from large families, and Joey’s own family played an important role in helping them imagine how they might build one of their own. His sisters offered extraordinary support, including donating eggs so that Joey and his husband could create embryos connected to their extended family.

The surrogacy journey itself was not simple. One sister had offered to be their gestational carrier, but that plan ultimately did not work out. Another surrogate they deeply connected with went through several embryo transfers that were unsuccessful. Each step brought new hope, followed by difficult setbacks.

Eventually, they matched with a gestational carrier who would go on to carry both of their daughters.

That experience reshaped Joey’s professional path as well.

During the required psychological consultations that are part of most surrogacy journeys, Joey realized how important emotional preparation was for intended parents, surrogates, and donors. As a therapist himself, he also noticed that some parts of the lived experience—particularly for LGBTQ+ families—were not always fully addressed.

Today, through Counseling With Joey, he works with intended parents, surrogates, and donors navigating the psychological dimensions of third-party reproduction.

Joey’s story reflects an often overlooked part of surrogacy: behind the medical process and legal agreements are deeply human questions about identity, expectations, relationships, and the emotional work of becoming a family.