PROTECT | Values Guided Suicide Prevention

Would love to hear your thoughts... 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 right now (State). Trace what hurts most and what values are under threat (Source). Map how risk ebbs and flows, and how close someone has come to cros...

Would love to hear your thoughts... 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 prevention — moving beyond static categories of “low, medium, high” risk to dynamic, forward-focused conversations that anticipate what lies ahead. Second,...

Would love to hear your thoughts... A Song for World Suicide Prevention Day Released 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 described by poets as the thing with feathers, fragile yet enduring. But hope is more than a feeling — it is something we create together through the choi...

Would love to hear your thoughts... 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 created by presence, tone, pacing, and transparency, and we name the real tension clinicians hold: the story that needs to unfol...

Would love to hear your thoughts... 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 life breathes after survival — imperfect, uneven, yet alive. We explore the four strands of FLOW: F – Fluctuations in mood and risk: re...

Would love to hear your thoughts... MEND – After the Rupture, the Reweaving Begins After a suicide attempt, survival is not the end of the story — it’s the fragile beginning of another chapter. In this episode, we explore the MEND phase of the STEPS framework: M eaning-Making: searching for fragments of understanding in the aftermath. E motions in Motion: navigating the waves of guilt, relief, ang...

Would love to hear your thoughts... Action - We enter the fourth phase of the STEPS model — TIP — the moment when suicidal thought becomes action. TIP is an acronym for:   T – Tension Builds – the lead-up to the act: the events, emotions, and pressures that coiled the thread so tight it broke. I – Impact Unfolds – the act itself: whether impulsive or rehearsed, interrupted or completed, and the mi...

Would love to hear your thoughts... Intention and the Quiet Planning of Death When risk tightens, our questions must soften. This is where the thread turns sharp. Sometimes the thread of suicidal thought sharpens—quietly, steadily—until it points toward a plan. This is the NEEDLE phase of the STEPS framework, where risk is no longer just emotional or ideational, but begins to take form. In this ep...

Would love to hear your thoughts... Ideation. It doesn’t always arrive loudly. Sometimes it starts with a whisper— “I’m just tired.” Other times, it circles silently, gaining strength beneath the surface. In this episode, we explore THREAD , the second phase of the STEPS model. Here, suicidal ideation begins to take shape—not yet a plan, but not just passing pain. This is the moment to notice the...

Would love to hear your thoughts... Predisposition and the Invisible Unravelling Where suicide risk begins — quietly, invisibly. This episode explores the earliest, often overlooked signs of emotional unraveling through the metaphor of FABRIC: Fragile sense of self, Alienation, Burdensomeness, Repetitive rumination, Inescapable circumstances, and Curtain of despair. Before there are plans, before...

Would love to hear your thoughts... STEPS 4 HOPE : Suicide Prevention Through Story, Song & Meaning Welcome to PROTECT (Season 4), a podcast where suicide prevention meets story, values, and the quiet power of music. Hosted by Dr. Manaan Kar Ray, psychiatrist, educator, and creator of the STEPS and HOPE frameworks, this series blends narrative, metaphor, and original music to explore how we ca...

Would love to hear your thoughts... Explore Sunny's Values Scouts Wrapping Up The Courage to Explore In this heartfelt final episode of 2024, the PROTECT Podcast explores the profound value of inner strength as Sunny meets his new guide, Goro the Gorilla. Through a challenging climb up a rocky hillside, Goro teaches Sunny that true strength isn’t about physical power—it’s about resilience, pa...

Would love to hear your thoughts...  Explore Sunny's Values Scouts In Episode 64 of the PROTECT Podcast, Dr. Manaan Kar Ray and Mahi explore the transformative value of Wonder . Building on last week’s theme of curiosity, this episode dives deeper into the magic of noticing and appreciating the beauty around us. Wonder isn’t just about grand, life-changing moments—it’s about finding awe in th...

Would love to hear your thoughts...   Explore Sunny's Values Scouts In this heartwarming episode of the PROTECT Podcast, we explore the transformative power of curiosity . Join Dr. Manaan Kar Ray and his daughter, Mahi, as they dive into Sunny’s latest adventure in Sunny’s Values Scouts . Guided by Milo the Meerkat, Sunny discovers how curiosity can unlock creativity, build resilience, and so...

Would love to hear your thoughts... Sunny's Values Scouts on Amazon In Episode 62 of the PROTECT Podcast, Mahi and Dr. Manaan Kar Ray explore the thrilling value of adventure . From small steps like taking a new route on a morning walk to daring feats in the unknown, adventure is about embracing life’s possibilities with courage and curiosity. Sunny, guided by Max the playful monkey, journeys...

Would love to hear your thoughts... Sunny's Values Scouts on Amazon In Episode 61, Courage in the Savanah , Mahi and Dr. Manaan Kar Ray dive into courage—the strength to move forward, even in the face of fear. With Sunny’s new guide, Leo the Lion, the duo explores how courage is a value that empowers both children and adults to face life’s uncertainties with resilience and calmness. In a deli...

Would love to hear your thoughts...  Sunny's Values Scouts on Amazon Join hosts Mahi and Dr. Manaan Kar Ray for a heartfelt exploration of loyalty in Episode 60 of the PROTECT Podcast. As they celebrate reaching listeners in 98 countries, Mahi and Manaan share their excitement and gratitude for their global community, with hopes of soon completing their worldwide puzzle by reaching 100 countr...

Would love to hear your thoughts...  Sunny's Values Scouts on Amazon The Value of Family: Roots, Resilience, and Dolphin Dreams Welcome to Episode 59 of the PROTECT Podcast! Today, hosts Mahi and Dr. Manaan Kar Ray dive into a topic that resonates with every listener— family . Families shape our well-being, build our resilience, and are a pivotal element in suicide prevention. We start with s...

Would love to hear your thoughts...  Sunny's Values Scouts on Amazon Exploring the Value of Connection   The Essence of Inter-being: A Lesson from Oliver the Octopus In this episode, Mahi and Manaan dive deep into the concept of Inter-being , a powerful idea introduced by mindfulness master Thich Nhat Hanh. Inter-being teaches us that everything in life is interconnected—nothing exists in iso...

Would love to hear your thoughts... Sunny's Values Scouts on Amazon Exploring Acceptance: Lessons from Sunny’s Value Scouts In this episode of the PROTECT Podcast , we continue our journey through the world of Sunny’s Value Scouts with an exploration of the value of Acceptance . Dr. Manaan Kar Ray, our content expert, and host Mahi Kar Ray take us through the enchanting story of Sunny’s lates...

Would love to hear your thoughts... Sunny's Values Scouts on Amazon In this second episode of Sunny’s Value Scouts on the PROTECT Podcast , Dr. Manaan Kar Ray and Mahi Kar Ray introduce listeners to the heartwarming world of Sunny, the golden retriever, as he embarks on magical adventures in Terra Vale. The goal of this series is to explore essential human values that shape our lives and help...

Would love to hear your thoughts... Sunny's Values Scouts on Amazon In this insightful podcast episode, Mahi sits down with Dr. Manaan Kar Ray to explore the essence of the Sunny’s Values Scouts series, a collection of children's stories designed to teach foundational values to children aged 5-8. With youth mental health issues on the rise globally, Dr. Kar Ray dives deep into the critic...

Would love to hear your thoughts... Using Compassion-Focused Therapy for Staff Wellbeing in Mental Health Settings In a podcast hosted by Dr. Manaan Kar Ray, Dr. Stan Steindl discussed Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) and its potential to enhance staff well-being in high-pressure mental health environments. Mental health professionals often face emotional challenges, and compassion can be a key fa...

Would love to hear your thoughts... In this special episode for World Suicide Prevention Day, Caroline Roodhouse shares an intimate and powerful reflection on her journey through grief following the loss of her husband, Steve, to suicide in 2018. With raw honesty and deep vulnerability, Caroline recounts her path from the darkness of despair to a place of hope and healing. She delves into the proc...

Would love to hear your thoughts... In the lead up to World Suicide Prevention Day, we present an hour with John Bell in which he shares his journey of post traumatic growth. In July 2020, John became a bereaved parent through the accidental suicide of his 15 year old son, Jake. He coped with the mental trauma of this experience by taking time out alone in the mountains, using his army training to...