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
G6 | 7 SAFE Steps - Post-Simulation Actor's Debrief - Tegan, Sami, Charlie, Kyra
Would love to hear your thoughts...
Following two days of 7 SAFE Steps training, we caught up with our four professional actors who brought to life Sandeep in the simulations. They are the fabulous 4: Tegan Braithwaite, Charlie Baz, Sami Afuni and Kyra Thompson. This is an opportunistic recording of the debrief and the feedback they provided.
7 SAFE STEPS is a 7 session safety protocol for mental health inpatient wards and community settings. The theoretical underpinning and practical skills are from the PROTECT suicide prevention training framework.
An overview of the conversations
Conversation 1: What Matters to Me (HOPE)
· Identify source of pain
· Identify source of hope
Conversation 2: Scenario Planning (Safe)
· Identify upcoming challenging scenarios
· Use risk response balance sheet to navigate difficulties
Conversation 3: Access to Means, Alcohol and Other Drugs (sAfe)
· Identify means availability, lethality and restriction feasibility
· Use risk response balance sheet to reduce access
Conversation 4: Family, Friends, Follow up (saFe)
· Conduct the LOVE exercise to firm up support
· Identify difficulties for disclosure and how to navigate them
Conversation 5: Emergency Plan (safE)
· Populate the coloured components of the safety plan
· Provide guidance on how to fill in the rest
Conversation 6: Make SAFE SAFER
· Identify Scenarios (Triggers)
· Identify Appraisals (Early Warning Signs - Thoughts)
· Identify Feelings (Early Warning Signs - Moods)
· Identify Endurance strategies (Internal - External)
· Identify Response (Actions – Behaviour)
Conversation 7: 1-2-7 Safety Conversation
· Connect the dots of from all the work that has been done so far
· Crosscheck safety plan to ensure that the person can maintain their safety.
Connect with Assoc Prof Manaan Kar Ray on Linkedin
Follow us on www.progress.guide
