G01Fact or Story? [implemented preview]
Mechanism inspiration: CBT and practical problem-solving; the short game has no demonstrated clinical effect. [S02, S75]
Scene: “There are dishes in the sink.” Mind’s interpretation: “I am failing at everything.” Choices: “The dishes are unfinished; that is not a verdict on parenting”; “The workload is too much for one person”; “I don’t want to reframe this now.”
Response: reflect the chosen perspective without grading. Action: simplify, postpone or give one task an owner. Success: the parent finds the choice useful, including choosing not to play. Avoid: disputing real abuse, financial hardship, medical concern or psychosis as a thinking error.
G02Both Can Be True [implemented preview]
Mechanism inspiration: acceptance and compassion within broader studied approaches; original format untested. [S75, S77]
Prompt: choose something believable: “I care deeply, and I need a break”; “Something was good, and something was hard”; “I don’t feel the good part yet.”
Response: neither feeling cancels the other. Action: a pause, one clear ask, a friendly voice or contact with care. Avoid: requiring an upbeat ending. A positive moment does not establish absence of depression.
G03The Friend Filter [implemented preview]
Mechanism inspiration: self-compassion; not a reproduction of compassion-focused therapy. [S77]
Prompt: “A friend says not enjoying today makes them a bad parent. What would you offer?” Choices: a fairer sentence, practical help, or company/help reaching care.
Action: borrow one useful kindness for yourself. Avoid: “I am an amazing parent every moment” as a compulsory affirmation. A neutral statement may feel more believable than praise.
G04Stay With a Good Second [implemented preview]
Mechanism inspiration: relational savoring; evidence comes from different delivery formats and populations. [S71, S72]
Prompt: recall a real moment of connection only if welcome. Notice one sensory detail or what felt connecting. Include a third choice: no memory, no interest, or discomfort.
Action: remain with the detail briefly, keep one word, or stop. A non-baby relationship or neutral present sensation is permitted. Avoid: trauma retelling, “at least the baby is healthy,” or treating a photo as evidence of bonding.
G05A Soundtrack for Now [implemented preview]
Mechanism inspiration: distinguish facilitated group singing, parent–infant singing and passive listening. [S67, S68, S79]
Choices: a familiar song for me; gentle humming together; a real supportive voice; or silence. Action: notice whether it feels welcome, not whether it cures anything. Follow the baby’s comfort; do not increase sound intensity to chase an effect.
Optional creation: record a spoken or sung message outside the prototype and choose it as the film’s audio. The current preview accepts an audio file but does not record the microphone or generate a singer.
G06The Tiny Plan [specified, not implemented]
Inspiration: behavioral activation and planning; a condensed format must be tested. [S14, S73]
Choose an activity that mattered before or might feel welcome now. Make it smaller. Identify a practical obstacle and who can help. Examples: sit with a favorite drink; step outside when physically appropriate; send a voice note to a friend; enjoy a familiar song. The app does not prescribe an exercise schedule.
Afterward, optionally ask whether it was worthwhile. Do not require a mood improvement. The point is access to chosen activity, not “perform self-care correctly.”
G07Keep, Shrink, Share [specified]
Design hypothesis: reduce actual demands rather than merely reframe them.
Place one task into Keep, Shrink or Share. Keep: it matters and is feasible. Shrink: choose a smaller version. Share: ask a suitable person to own it. Medical and infant-care instructions cannot be discarded by a productivity game.
Finish with an actual owner or a realistic simplification. A colorful board without changed work is not success.
G08The Unseen Wins [specified]
Inspiration: recognition and identity themes in qualitative singing research, with no validated game effect. [S70]
A parent or consenting supporter names an effort: asking for help, attending care, making food available, patiently learning something, or taking a needed pause. The app turns it into an optional private note.
Do not reward tolerating an unsafe situation, foregoing medication, exclusive feeding, body weight, or competitive sacrifice. Do not require the mother to document everything she does.
G09Name the Need [specified]
Inspiration: coping and coparenting practice; simplified version untested. [S76]
Choose what would help: listening, shared time, a practical task, space, or professional support. Draft a direct request. Let the parent edit it. Do not send without approval or claim to know what a partner “really meant.”
The recipient replies with an acceptance or honest limit. Backups are explicit. Nobody has to share a private journal to obtain help.
G10The Two-Minute Team [specified]
Inspiration: structured coparenting approaches; not the Family Foundations curriculum. [S76]
Each person answers: what felt heavy, what was useful, and what one thing can I own next? A supporter initiates only when welcome. No debate about whether a feeling is legitimate.
This is not couples therapy, and a coercive or unsafe relationship is not an appropriate setting for enforced sharing. Provide a private path.
G11The Before-and-After Story [specified]
Design hypothesis: support personal meaning without rewriting reality. [S78]
Before: one expectation. Now: what is different. Learning: what matters to me. Help: who or what was useful. Next: one practical choice. Any box can stay empty.
Use a low-stakes example unless the user independently wants to discuss something difficult with appropriate support. No automatic happy ending, synthetic testimony, or implied universal advice.
G12A Note From My People [specified]
Design hypothesis: a real supportive voice as an optional comfort asset.
Invite a trusted person to record a short message: one thing they appreciate, one practical commitment, and no demand that the parent respond. Let the recipient approve, mute or delete it.
The app must never fabricate a message from a real relative, impersonate a deceased loved one, or generate a future-child message claiming that the parent owes recovery to the child. No voice cloning is needed.