Frequently asked questions

Said & Heard is a free app that guides a family through a shared daily moment. Each family member, including the adult, says out loud what went well in their day and how they feel right now. There is also a light morning and evening routine called Important Things.

Said & Heard is based on an exercise developed by a mother with her own children. The developer is a peer: she has experienced intimate partner violence and survived it. The exercise was born in 2022 out of real need, because no suitable low threshold support was available. In Finland, getting help for a child can also require the consent of both guardians, which is a real barrier for many families. The exercise has been in the familys use ever since, and it is supported by a multidisciplinary research basis.

No. All content is written by a human and nothing is fed to an AI. The exercise is precisely human, face to face interaction that the app only paces.

Primarily for families with children where a parent wants to strengthen emotional skills and connection. It is especially valuable for families rebuilding a sense of safety and connection. An adult can also use it alone as an evening reflection.

Said & Heard is completely free.

No. Said & Heard is a parent tool. Children take part in the shared moment by speaking, not on the screen.

No. We do not collect any data about children and we do not store childrens answers. We do not record audio. We store only the parents account, session completions and the parents own descriptive notes about the moment.

Data is stored on Supabase in the EU region (Frankfurt). Access is restricted by row level security (RLS) so each user sees only their own data.

Only you. You can delete your account and all your data at any time directly from the app.

Yes. Data minimisation is the design starting point, and you have the right to access, correct, port and delete your data. Deletion requires no justification and happens without delay. See the privacy notice.

The exercise draws on several established research lines: childrens social and emotional learning (SEL), parental emotion socialisation, affect labeling, sharing positive experiences (capitalization) and predictable family routines. Documented design starting points are Martin Seligmans What Went Well, Banduras self-efficacy theory and Vygotskys idea of an external voice becoming internal.

Not yet. The individual mechanisms it uses are well studied, but this specific four-question spoken family reflection has not been studied for effectiveness. We therefore do not claim it is a proven intervention, and we are planning our own pilot study.

Putting feelings into words (affect labeling) works as emotion regulation: in studies with adults it is associated with reduced amygdala activity through a prefrontal regulation pathway. In children, a stronger ability to name emotions is associated with better emotion regulation. This is mechanism evidence, not direct evidence about this specific app.

Saying things out loud adds three things that writing alone does not: the speaker hears themselves say it, others hear it, and it can be responded to. Producing words aloud improves memory, and the strongest added value comes from interaction and being heard.

Predictable family routines are associated in a broad body of research with positive child development and family functioning, and they play a protective role especially under strain. The evidence is associative, so we do not claim any new routine produces wellbeing, but a predictable shared moment is well grounded in research.

The parents own participation is research supported: children learn emotional skills by seeing how an adult recognises and names their own feelings. The parent is not an evaluator but models the skill and practices it too.

We do not use stars, five-point scales or invented overall scores. A parent may optionally rate the moment with a semantic differential, choosing on a seven-point scale between adjective poles (for example tense and warm, distant and close, heavy and light), plus one seven-point comparison against the past week. This gives a subtle, consistent anchor over time in line with our responsible measurement principles.

The app can support predictable daily routines, the parents presence and positive interaction also in families under strain. It is not trauma treatment and does not replace professional help. If the familys safety is at risk, we advise seeking appropriate help.

Said & Heard is not therapy, a crisis service or trauma treatment. It does not claim to treat trauma, prevent depression or anxiety, raise self-esteem, repair family dynamics or help recover from intimate partner violence. We can describe what it does: it guides a shared moment, helps name feelings and supports sharing positive experiences.

Typically 5 to 15 minutes depending on family size and conversation. The Important Things routine takes under a minute per child.

Taking part is an invitation, not a requirement. A child may listen without answering. Listening is also taking part.

Yes. Said & Heard works as an installable browser app (PWA), and it is also available on Google Play for Android.