Dr. Casey Simon
Psy.D., M.S., LMFT
“The work is to understand what hurts, why it repeats, and what it asks of you.”
Dr. Simon is a psychoanalytic psychotherapist in private practice. He holds a doctorate in clinical psychology and is licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist in California and Oregon. He built The Observing Ego because the tool he most wanted to give his patients between sessions did not yet exist.
A note from Casey.
Why this app exists, in my own words.
The first version of this app lived on a yellow legal pad in my office.
When patients tried to describe their week, the same problems came up. Memory was unreliable. The hardest moments were the easiest to skip. Mood shifted with the day of the asking. We were doing real work, but the connective tissue between sessions kept slipping.
I wanted my patients to have something that lived in their pocket. Not a coach. Not an AI pretending to be a clinician. Not a wellness app that gamifies feelings or sells data to advertisers. Something that asked good questions, kept honest records, and held those records privately enough that people could be honest in them.
So I built one. Then I asked colleagues whose clinical judgment I trust to tell me what was wrong with it. Then I rebuilt it. Then I asked again. That cycle continues.
The Observing Ego is not therapy and it is not a substitute for therapy. It is a quiet, careful instrument for noticing yourself, the kind of tool I always wished my patients carried with them, so that the work we did together could compound between sessions instead of starting fresh each week.
If you are using it, thank you. Be honest with it. Be patient with yourself.
Casey
Background.
Education, licensure, and the path into this work.
Dr. Simon maintains a private psychoanalytic psychotherapy practice in Westlake Village, California, with telehealth practice in Oregon. His clinical work draws on psychoanalytic and depth-oriented traditions, with particular focus on personality disorders (borderline especially), trauma, dissociative experience, and the psychoanalytic treatment of psychotic disorders. His doctoral dissertation at Pacifica Graduate Institute was a network meta-analysis comparing DBT, Mentalization-Based Treatment, and Transference-Focused Psychotherapy for borderline personality disorder.
Before clinical practice, Dr. Simon worked in film and television production for over a decade, including time as adjunct professor of Screen Arts at Pepperdine University from 2019 to 2024. The habits of cinematography (watching carefully, framing what matters, trusting that the picture only emerges over time) carried into the consulting room, and then into the app.
- Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology Pacifica Graduate Institute, 2025. Depth-psychology specialization.
- M.S. in Counseling Psychology California Lutheran University, 2014. Marriage and Family Therapy emphasis.
- B.A. in Film and Television Production Loyola Marymount University, 2010.
- University of Cambridge Coursework in Political Science, English Literature, and Art History, 2008.
- Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist California, #97789.
- Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Oregon, #T2325.
- Personality disordersBorderline especially. Treated through MBT and TFP frameworks.
- TraumaDevelopmental, relational, and acute. Integration over symptom suppression.
- Dissociative experiencePhase-oriented, stabilization-focused treatment.
- Psychotic disordersPsychoanalytic treatment, in collaboration with prescribers.
- Mood and anxietyDepth-informed, with prescriber collaboration where indicated.
- Doctoral dissertationNetwork meta-analysis of DBT, Mentalization-Based Treatment, and Transference-Focused Psychotherapy for borderline personality disorder.
- Dream analysisAs a clinical instrument, particularly in the treatment of psychotic disorders.
- Psychology of filmCharacter development and cinematic storytelling. The bridge between his two careers.
- Professional affiliationsAPA Division 39 (Psychoanalysis), AAMFT, CAMFT (Ventura County Chapter), and the Society for Cognitive Studies of the Moving Image.
How the clinic shaped the app.
Five clinical convictions, translated into design.
The observing ego.
The part of the self that can step back and watch the rest of the self without panicking or pathologizing. The whole app is named for it because the whole app is meant to strengthen it. Logging is not a confession, a verdict, or a grade. It is a moment of standing slightly to the side and noticing.
Why the nameFeel first, label second.
Emotions live on a dimensional landscape (valence and arousal) before they earn a word. 167 emotion words mapped to 12 primary feeling categories give patients a vocabulary precise enough to be useful but flexible enough to honor what they actually felt, including the bodily part. Interoception is its own lane.
Mood loggingTrack defenses, do not judge them.
Defense mechanisms protect us before they limit us. Naming a defense while it is happening is one of the harder skills in psychodynamic work, and one of the most freeing. The app records them as data, not as failures, and lets the pattern show itself over weeks rather than assigning meaning in the moment.
Defense trackingAssociations, never causes.
Every correlation in the app is shown as an association, never a cause. We require at least seven data points before any insight is surfaced. We only show correlations of moderate strength or higher (|r| greater than or equal to 0.3). The aim is not to dazzle anyone with a number. The aim is to bring real patterns to a real conversation.
InsightsSafety, never optional.
The C-SSRS screener, the safety plan, the 988 Lifeline, and the crisis-resource library are always accessible regardless of subscription status. When the app detects elevated risk, it interrupts. None of this can be locked, paywalled, or toggled off. Safety is the floor, not a feature.
Always freeHonesty needs a locked door.
The most sensitive data anyone has is the data they share with themselves. Mood logs, journal entries, and assessment scores are processed on-device. iCloud sync is end-to-end encrypted via Apple's CloudKit. No ads, no data resale, no account required. Without that floor, an honest log is not possible.
On-deviceThe clinicians who shaped it.
A small group of trusted colleagues, contributing where it mattered most.
The Observing Ego has been reviewed at multiple stages by fellow clinical psychologists and neuropsychologists. Dr. Simon consulted them on diagnostic framing, assessment scoring, safety-trigger logic, and developmental appropriateness for children and adolescents. Their input shaped what the app shows, what it asks, and where it pauses to surface help.
We have chosen not to publish their names. Clinical work is a referral practice, and being publicly associated with a consumer app is a decision each clinician deserves to make for themselves, on their own timing. We extend gratitude here in the form they prefer. Anonymously.
Clinicians interested in using The Observing Ego with their own practice can read the Clinician Guide for a clinically oriented walkthrough of the app, its evidence base, and how to bring patient-generated data into a session.
This is not therapy.
The app is a careful tracker. The work of healing happens in a relationship.
What the app is, and what it is not.
The Observing Ego is a self-tracking instrument informed by clinical practice. It can support and complement therapy. It cannot replace therapy, diagnosis, prescribing, or crisis care. The screeners inside the app (PHQ-9, GAD-7, WHO-5, DERS-16, SCS-SF, C-SSRS, ASQ, STIPO-R) are screening tools. They are never diagnoses.
- Psychology Today directory. The most comprehensive way to find licensed therapists by location, insurance, and specialty.
- APA Psychologist Locator. Helpful when you specifically want a licensed clinical psychologist.
- Open Path Collective. Reduced-fee psychotherapy nationally for people without insurance or with limited budgets.
- Inclusive Therapists. Therapist search prioritizing identity, lived experience, and cultural fit.
- 988. Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Call or text, 24/7, free, confidential.
- Crisis Text Line. Text HOME to 741741.
- 911. For immediate medical emergencies.
Dr. Simon's private psychotherapy practice is at caseysimonmft.com. He practices in person in California and via telehealth in Oregon. Availability is limited, and a directory search above is often the fastest path to a good therapist. Practice intake is separate from The Observing Ego.
Reach Dr. Simon.
Feedback, suggestions, partnership questions, and clinician inquiries are read.
Feature requests, bugs, ideas for new clinical content. Read regularly.
For people seeking therapy in California (in person) or Oregon (telehealth). Separate from the app.
Clinicians using the app with their practice, press, partnerships, privacy questions, anything else.
Email is not a clinical channel. It is not a substitute for therapy. It is not monitored for crisis. If you are in crisis, please use the resources in the previous section or call 988.
Start seeing yourself clearly.
The same instrument Dr. Simon wished his patients had. On your phone, your wrist, and your Mac. 7-day free trial for Premium. Safety features free forever.
iOS 17+ · watchOS 10+ · macOS 14+ · Privacy-first · No account required