Dr. Ronald Ricker and Dr. Venus Nicolino

Dr. Ronald Ricker and Dr. Venus Nicolino work together to bring a trademark blend of empathic, yet savvy observations on a cornucopia of issues, running the gamut from overmedicating in the name of mental health to the emotional toll of the current financial crisis. Despite their jocular manner, they are both keenly aware that in the never-ending gush of crisis and turmoil that is "the news", the affect of events and policy on the human heart is often overlooked.

Dr Ricker is a psychiatrist, founder and director of The Linden Center in Los Angeles, a treatment center for emotionally, behaviorally and educationally disturbed children and adolescents. Upwards of 3,600 children and adolescents have been treated in this program.

Dr. Nicolino (known to her online fan base as “Dr. V”) stands out as a testament to the unquestionable power of positive, deliberate living and the dividends it yields. She provides incomparable insight into the workings of the human psyche to major media outlets both on screen and in print. Her feisty yet insightful commentaries led one fan to describe her as “a sexy, savvy reincarnation of Erma Bombeck”

Dr. Ricker’s educational background is extensive: BA, University of California at Berkeley; MD, Tufts University School of Medicine; Resident, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles; Researcher, The National Institute of Mental Health for the Study of Drug Addiction; Graduate, UCLA Psychiatric Residency Training Program; Graduate, Los Angeles Psychoanalytic Society and Institute; Director, Reiss-Davis Child Study Center, Department of Post-Graduate Education; Member of the American Medical Association, the American Psychoanalytic Association and the International Psychoanalytic Association. As of this writing, Dr. Ricker has not been compared to Erma Bombeck.

Though Dr. V was just learning to tie her shoe by the time Dr. Ricker had completed his education, her own background is also noteworthy: BA: New York University, MA in Counseling Psychology: New York University MA and PhD in Clinical Psychology: California School of Professional Psychology

Dr. Ricker writes extensively; his latest book “No Distance, It’s the Ride” can be found at www.adolescentpsychoanalysis.org.

His latest writings are about the overwhelming failure of the State of California to provide critically needed resources for the mental health treatment of children and adolescents.

Dr. V has appeared numerous times on CNN, writes regular columns for the major women’s sites Lifescript.com and Savvygal.com. She’s also become especially active on Facebook, regularly serving up her unique, sassy take on “mating, dating and relating”.

Together, Dr. Ricker and Dr. V offer up a singular sensibility that melds worldly erudition with a hip, contemporary wit. It is their shared hope and vision to raise awareness and appreciation for empathy and respect for the human heart and mind.