What exactly is SAMRUM?+
SAMRUM is a digital dialogue tool for families. Each family member takes an age-adapted test on their phone or computer – there are versions for adults, teenagers (13+) and children (approx. 6–12 with a parent guide). Answers are private, and based on them, AI-supported reports are generated that describe patterns in the relationship in everyday language. The family can then start a focus track: a 4-week programme with concrete everyday tools, tailored to the patterns the test found. And when something comes up in the moment, the family can open "Right now" – a moment guide that quickly gives a plan based on both people's profiles. Read more about how it works.
Who is it for?+
Couples, parent-child, siblings and whole families – including blended families. It's not a crisis tool and not a clinical instrument. It's designed for families that have something that gnaws, but who don't necessarily need (or are ready for) therapy. It can also be a supplement for families already in contact with an advisor.
Can it replace therapy or professional support?+
No – and that's by design. SAMRUM is a self-help tool and a stepping stone, not a replacement for professional help. For families already in a process, it can be a supplement that provides structure between conversations. For families not ready for therapy, it can be a beginning – a way to put words to something that would otherwise remain unsaid. And for the advisor, a shared report can serve as a starting point for the first conversation.
What does it cost – and who pays?+
With a sponsor licence, the municipality pays for access and the family pays nothing: no checkout, no paywall, no upselling. The licence covers a number of families for an agreed period, and pricing is agreed per pilot – it also covers the data processing agreement, DPIA material and advisor onboarding. Without an agreement, any professional can still recommend SAMRUM; the test and profile are then free, and the family pays for reports themselves. See pricing for consumer prices.
What does the family see of the sponsored access?+
That access is provided by the municipality, what it covers, and when it expires. Beyond that, the family uses the same SAMRUM as everyone else – but without payment and without SAMRUM's network of private practitioners. The municipality can choose whether the licence covers reports and "Right now" only, or focus tracks as well.
Can the municipality see the family's data?+
Not without the citizen's active choice. The advisor can see whether an invitation has been sent, accepted or expired – not answers, profiles or reports. If a citizen chooses to share their profile or a report with the advisor, it happens as a separate step after the citizen has seen the content, and it can be withdrawn. Sharing is never a condition of access, and help or case handling must never depend on it. Each person only shares their own part; a joint report only becomes visible once everyone involved has shared.
Is it safe enough for vulnerable families?+
SAMRUM is designed for low-threshold use and normalising language. No answers are shared between family members – this is a deliberate design decision, because people answer most honestly when no one is watching. Reports are descriptive, not alarming, and point to patterns – not faults. For families in acute crisis, however, SAMRUM is not the right tool. It cannot handle acute safety situations and is not designed to.
Can we start with children and young people?+
Only once a separate children and youth model is in place. Teen/parent reports are an obvious core use in a children and youth centre, but young people in a municipal context can easily feel pressured to share. So age limits, inviting young people, youth-friendly explanations and protection against pressured sharing must be clarified and built before minors are included in a pilot. Many pilots start with parents and adults.
What happens when the licence expires?+
The family keeps its account and the profiles and reports it has already received. New reports then cost the same as for everyone else, unless the municipality extends. The family is notified well in advance, and no one is asked to pay for anything they don't choose themselves.
How does it fit into an existing prevention effort?+
SAMRUM doesn't require new systems or IT integration – no SSO, national e-ID or links to case systems. The advisor uses a simple dashboard to invite; the family uses SAMRUM at home. The report can be used as a starting point in a follow-up conversation, if the family chooses to share it. SAMRUM is dialogue support – not a record, intake tool or basis for decisions.
Is there evidence behind it?+
SAMRUM's test is built on Big Five (Costa & McCrae, 1992) for personality traits and the Interpersonal Circumplex (Wiggins, 1979) for relational behaviour. Questions are based on IPIP – an open, validated item bank (Goldberg et al., 2006). Patterns in reports are grounded in Gottman's couples research (1994, 2015), attachment theory (Bowlby, 1969; Johnson, 2008), and systemic family therapy (Bateson, 1972; Minuchin, 1974). Children are never described with personality traits but in situations (Piaget, Vygotsky), and teenagers have their own principles based on adolescence research (Steinberg, 2001, 2014). SAMRUM is not a clinical instrument and does not diagnose – it's a reflection and dialogue tool with an academic foundation of 15+ key references. Read more about the methodology behind SAMRUM.