Mental health support in Bermuda is often experienced in fragments.

A parent notices something is not quite right. A teen starts to struggle. An adult reaches a point where support is needed. There may be an assessment– sometimes even a diagnosis. But what comes next is often far less clear.

Too many people are left asking the same question: now what? And too often, that uncertainty leads to delays in care, worsening symptoms and families trying to navigate complex systems on their own.

This is not because care does not exist. Across Bermuda, there are committed professionals, organisations and services doing important work every day. But the system itself can still feel difficult to navigate – especially when support is needed across different stages of life.

At Solstice, this is the gap we are intentionally designed to bridge.

We see every day how earlier support, clearer pathways and more connected care can change outcomes – not just for individuals, but for families and communities.

Our work is grounded in the belief that overall health should be treated equally. Like physical illness mental health support should be connected, accessible and centred around the individual not the system they are trying to navigate.

Mental health is not one moment. It is a continuum.

It starts with early concerns and prevention. It includes assessment and diagnosis. It also extends into ongoing support, life transitions, family dynamics, workplaces and communities. Without stronger connections between those stages, even the best available services can feel disjointed.

In practice, this is where many systems struggle.

That is where collaboration matters.

No single organisation can meet the full range of mental health needs in Bermuda. Progress depends on how well we work together across healthcare, education, government and the nonprofit sector -- to create clearer pathways and more coordinated support.

We work alongside organisations such as Dementia Bermuda, OUTBermuda, the Minister of Health, Child and Family Services and the Adolescent Mental Health Working Group because no one service meets the full range of needs. In practice, that means coordinating care, sharing insight, and supporting individuals across more than one setting – so people are not left navigating it alone.

In 2025, Solstice supported more than 2,400 individuals across Bermuda, with nearly 1,800 new intakes. But what matters more than the numbers is what they represent, people reaching out, often for the first time, and trusting that support will meet them where they are. Solstice provided over 650 pro bono hours. Those pro bono hours matter – in many situations they are often the difference between getting support early and not at all.

But numbers only tell part of the story.

A significant part of this work happens outside of one-to-one care. Through outreach, workshops and public education, we are seeing a gradual shift in how mental health is understood and talked about across the island. Schools, workplaces and community groups are asking different questions. There is more openness, and a growing recognition that early support matters.

That shift matters just as much as the clinical work.

We believe in the importance of building capacity for the future.

Bermuda continues to face limited local pathways into mental health professions. That is not something any one organisation can fix alone. But it is something we can all contribute to.

It was a commitment that my co-founder Eloise Pitts Crick and myself made from the inception of Solstice. In other professional capacities, we had so many Bermudians begging us to get their internships or experiential hours so they could complete degrees or be competitive for graduate schools in mental health professions.

Through internships, mentorship and structured training pathways, Solstice has supported more than two dozen interns in gaining hands-on clinical experience. In 2025, six applied psychology assistants were employed through a defined early-career pathway, with several progressing into postgraduate training, clinical placements and roles within Bermuda’s healthcare system. This is also supported through scholarships and professional development awards Solstice provides to Bermudians pursuing careers in mental health.

And increasingly, we are seeing something just as important: return.

One of our earliest interns has come back to Bermuda as a full-time clinical psychologist at Solstice. Others have moved into master’s programmes, local roles and further training. These are small shifts, but they matter. This is how a more sustainable system is built. This is what connected systems look like.

The opportunity in Bermuda is not to build something entirely new, but to connect what already exists, to create easier clearer pathways, invest in early support and ensure that no one is left asking “what now” at the moment they need help most.

Solstice is not a non-profit. But we are deeply committed to Bermuda’s community and third sector, and much of our work happens alongside organisations already supporting people on the ground.

Mental health outcomes are rarely immediate. The work is ongoing, and progress is often gradual. But it is visible – in how people engage, how families navigate support, and how the system begins to connect in more meaningful ways.

A stronger mental health system in Bermuda will not come from any one organisation.

It will come from continued collaboration, shared responsibility, and a commitment to meeting people where they are.

Because mental health is not a single service. It is something we build, together.

And the strength of that system will shape not only individual outcomes, but the future of Bermuda itself.

• Kelly Madeiros is managing director of Solstice. This op-ed is part of the Third Sector Spotlight Series, a collective campaign co-ordinated by the Non-Profit Alliance of Bermuda. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the value, impact and contributions of Bermuda’s non-profit sector