PROTECT | Values Guided Suicide Prevention
HEALING WITH HOPE | A Journey of Mental Wellbeing, Resilience, and Connection
Welcome to PROTECT, a transformative podcast dedicated to nurturing mental well-being, building resilience, and fostering hope. At its core, PROTECT is about the power of human connection—exploring how values like compassion, belonging, and loyalty can become lifelines for those facing challenges. Founded on the principle of Relational Safety, this podcast moves beyond traditional perspectives, asking not “what’s the matter with you?” but “what matters to you?”—empowering both professionals and individuals in their journey to chip away at pain and build strength.
Hosted by Dr. Manaan Kar Ray, an innovator and leader in mental health crisis care with over a decade of experience at Oxford and Cambridge, and now the Director of Mental Health Services at Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, PROTECT is changing the way we think about suicide prevention. Each episode blends leading-edge research with person-centered practice, bringing insights that promote hope, purpose, and resilience.
In our new focus, we introduce the STEPS 4 HOPE podcast series—an intimate exploration of suicide prevention through story, metaphor, and values-based connection. This season follows Ari’s Tapestry, a narrative journey through the six STEPS of suicidal distress: FABRIC, THREAD, NEEDLE, TIP, MEND, and FLOW. Each episode blends poetic storytelling, clinical insight, and emotional resonance to help listeners better understand what risk feels like—and how to respond with presence, curiosity, and care. Grounded in the HOPE framework, this series is a companion for anyone seeking to support others through pain, or to reweave their own path forward.
Whether you’re a clinician, caregiver, educator, or someone walking your own recovery journey, this podcast is an essential resource for all those who care deeply about mental health, suicide prevention, and building communities that thrive on connection and kindness.
Further information at www.PROGRESS.guide.
PROTECT | Values Guided Suicide Prevention
Latest Episodes
75 | Heart of STEPS: State, Source, Span & Scenario
In this episode we move from concept to practice, stepping into the four anchors at the centre of the STEPS model: State, Source, Span, and Scenario.Through Ari’s story, we show how to:Locate where someone is ri...
74 | Top to Tap - World Suicide Prevention Day 2025 Special
Progress to Practice This World Suicide Prevention Day 2025 Special episode explores the three critical mindset shifts that bring suicide prevention from concept to care.First, the shift from prediction to pre...
Creating Hope Through Action – Commemorating World Suicide Prevention Day
A Song for World Suicide Prevention DayReleased on 10 September 2025 for World Suicide Prevention Day, this original song captures the heart of this year’s theme: Creating Hope Through Action.Hope has been...
73 | Woven Together: Ari's Tapestry
This episode is a deliberate pause: a chance to gather the threads of Ari’s journey and see the STEPS model as a whole. We begin with the heart of any assessment—the room between two people. We explore relational safety as a felt sense c...
72 | The Weaving Resumes: The FLOW of Life in Motion
In this episode, we return to Ari a month after her attempt — not at an ending, but at a continuation. This is FLOW, the phase of living in motion.FLOW does not promise smoothness. It promises awareness. It helps us notice how lif...
