Founder and Executive Director, Vermont Wellness Collaborative
Now accepting new clients | Telehealth statewide + in-person | Self-pay
Most of the men I work with are doing everything right on paper. Career, family, responsibilities handled. And underneath it, something isn’t working: anxiety that won’t shut off, a relationship running on logistics, a fuse that keeps getting shorter.
I work with men carrying the weight of provider culture, the pressure to perform and hold it together without showing strain. That pressure doesn’t build strength. It builds isolation. Therapy is where we set it down and look at what’s actually there.6
How I work
The relationship comes first. I connect with the men I work with first – developing a strong working relationship. This usually comes with humor and a client-led pace. Most men have never had a space where they could be fully honest without managing someone else’s reaction. Building that space is the first piece of work we do, and everything else we do comes next.
Within that relationship, I’m kind but I’m direct. If I see a pattern, I’ll name it. If you’re avoiding something, I’ll say so, and I’ll expect the same honesty in return. You’ll leave sessions with things to notice and practice, and we’ll hold each other accountable to the work between them.
In practice, I draw from four approaches, blended to fit you rather than delivered as a protocol:
- CBT for the mechanics: identifying the thought patterns that drive anxiety, anger, and avoidance, and learning to interrupt them.
- IFS (Internal Family Systems) for the deeper structure: understanding the parts of you that protect, criticize, and perform, and how they took those jobs in the first place.
- ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) for direction: getting clear on what you actually value, and building a life around that instead of around avoiding discomfort.
- Somatic principles for what the body holds: noticing where stress and emotion live physically, because insight alone doesn’t regulate a nervous system.
Together these cover the range most men need: skills for right now, understanding of how you got here, clarity about where you’re going, and a body that isn’t working against you.
Who I work with
- Men navigating identity, purpose, and the demands of provider culture
- High-achieving professionals whose anxiety doesn’t turn off when the work does
- Men facing relationship challenges: disconnection, recurring conflict, communication patterns that won’t break
- Athletes and competitors working on the mental side of performance
- Men whose emotions come out sideways as irritability, or don’t come out at all
Background
I founded Vermont Wellness Collaborative and lead its clinical team as Executive Director. I hold a doctorate in leadership and policy, a master’s in social work, and clinical licensure in Vermont, New York, and Connecticut. My work outside the therapy room centers on men’s psychological development, which you can find at cyruspatten.com.
Getting started
If you’ve been thinking about therapy for a while, that’s usually the signal. Sessions are available by telehealth anywhere in Vermont or in person.
