Most of us would never think twice about having health insurance.

We understand the value of protecting ourselves and our families against the unexpected — a cancer diagnosis, a serious accident or another health crisis. We also understand the importance of prevention, whether that is an annual checkup, eye exam or routine screening.

But what about our mental health?

In many ways, employee assistance programmes function as mental health insurance. They provide support when life becomes overwhelming, helping people to navigate challenges before they become crises.

Every day, people across Bermuda carry loads that nobody else can see. The employee caring for an ageing parent. The person lying awake at night worrying about money. The couple struggling to communicate. The parent trying to support a child who is having a difficult time at school. The manager trying to lead a team through uncertainty while managing their own stress.

These challenges are often invisible, but they affect every aspect of our lives — relationships, our wellbeing and our work performance.

Unfortunately, mental health support is not always easy to access. Cost, stigma and a lack of awareness can all prevent people from reaching out for help when they need it most.

The need for this support has never been greater.

According to the World Health Organisation, more than one billion people worldwide live with a mental health condition. Anxiety and depression alone account for an estimated 12 billion lost productive workdays every year. Bermuda is no exception. While the Covid-19 pandemic exposed and accelerated many of these challenges, demand for mental health support has continued well beyond the pandemic itself.

Employee Assistance Programme Bermuda functions as mental health insurance.

Since 1987, EAP Bermuda has provided confidential counselling, crisis response and workplace support to employers and employees. Our mission is to be your trusted partner in personal and professional growth, offering compassionate guidance and practical solutions. Our vision is to create an emotionally healthy community by empowering employees to address personal issues that may be impacting work performance.

In 2025 alone, EAP Bermuda provided counselling services to 1,045 individuals and reached a further 4,349 people through training, workshops and group services.

Behind every one of those numbers is a person, a family or a workplace facing a challenge and looking for support.

Eighty-five per cent of our counselling clients are self-referrals — people who recognised they needed help and took the important step of reaching out. Our clinical team holds master’s or doctorate degrees and provides short-term, solution-focused counselling for grief, depression, anxiety, parenting concerns, relationship challenges and workplace stress. We offer management consultations, mediation, team-building, drug-free workplace initiatives, crisis counselling and a 24-hour on-call service for Critical Incident Stress Management.

We also work closely with organisations.

When a business experiences a robbery and employees are afraid to return to work, we are there. When an organisation faces redundancies and staff struggle with uncertainty, we provide support. When teams are dealing with conflict, stress or change, we help to create a path forward.

Sometimes the most important thing we offer is a safe, confidential space for people to talk openly about what they are experiencing.

EAP Bermuda is also committed to maintaining the highest professional standards. We are Bermuda's only accredited employee assistance provider, accredited by both the Council on Accreditation and the Bermuda National Standards Committee. This year, we achieved our fourth reaccreditation and continue to employ the island's only two Certified Employee Assistance Professionals.

Our work extends beyond counselling and crisis response.

Through our Wellness Wednesday Webinar Series, sponsored by Allshores, more than 8,700 people have participated in free public education sessions since 2020, covering topics such as relationships, self-care and managing mental health challenges. Through our Clinical Internship Programme, we have helped to train ten Bermudian students pursuing careers in mental health, helping to strengthen the future of the profession in Bermuda.

As a non-profit consortium of public and private sector employers, EAP Bermuda exists because healthy employees create healthier workplaces, healthier families and stronger communities.

Our hope is that one day mental health support is viewed in exactly the same way we view physical health support — not as a luxury but as something people can access before they reach a crisis point.

In the same way, health insurance is considered an essential benefit, access to mental health support should be considered an essential part of overall wellbeing.

If your organisation does not currently offer EAP services, ask about them. If you already have access to EAP support, use it.

You do not have to wait until things become overwhelming.

You are not alone, and you were never meant to be.

• Latisha Lister-Burgess is the executive director of the Employee Assistance Programme. 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