Near and Dear Therapy

Home
United States
Walnut Creek, CA
Near and Dear Therapy

Holistic and Compassionate Care and Insights I focus on creating a space where you feel seen, supported, and grounded — a space where real growth can unfold.

👋 Welcome — I'm Amy Ratkovich, LMFT
I’m a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist serving clients in both California and Wisconsin. With over nine years of experience, I support individuals navigating ADHD, anxiety, depression, trauma, and relationship challenges.

🌀 My Approach
Healing isn’t one-size-fits-all. My work is rooted in deep, intuitive listening and a blend of person-centered, psychodyn

amic, and eclectic therapies. Together, we explore your patterns, your needs, and your strengths — not from a place of fixing, but from a place of rediscovering what’s already whole within you.

🌿 What You Can Expect
Sessions are collaborative, compassionate, and paced to meet you where you are. You’ll build insight, learn practical coping strategies, and deepen your connection to yourself. Whether you’re working through something specific or seeking long-term personal growth, I’m here to walk with you.

05/30/2026

eeling overwhelmed? 💜

When stress builds, the mind often speeds up rather than slows down. Thoughts loop. Conversations replay. Small decisions suddenly feel exhausting.

Sometimes what we call “overthinking” is really a nervous system trying to create safety, predictability, or control in the middle of overwhelm.

You do not have to figure it all out alone.

Therapy can offer a space to slow down, untangle what’s happening beneath the surface, and reconnect with yourself with greater clarity and self compassion.

Warmly,

Amy Ratkovich LMFT 12308
www.neardeartherapy.com

05/28/2026

Feeling overwhelmed?

When stress builds, the mind often speeds up rather than slows down. Thoughts loop. Conversations replay. Small decisions suddenly feel exhausting.

Sometimes what we call “overthinking” is really a nervous system trying to create safety, predictability, or control in the middle of overwhelm.

You do not have to figure it all out alone.

Therapy can offer a space to slow down, untangle what’s happening beneath the surface, and reconnect with yourself with greater clarity and self compassion.

Warmly,

Amy Ratkovich LMFT 124308

www.neardeartherapy.com

05/24/2026

Dear Community,

How often do you have “Milk of Amnesia” for breakfast?

ADHD brains, anxious minds, overwhelmed nervous systems… sometimes forgetfulness isn’t laziness or lack of caring. Sometimes your system is simply overloaded.

A little humor and a little self compassion for the moments when:

you walk into a room and forget why
reread the same text three times
lose your coffee while holding it
or completely blank on what you were just about to say.

You’re human. It happens. And yes, if you’ve got a little ADHD in the mix, it may happen more often than you’d like… and that’s okay too.

Warmly,
Amy Ratkovich LMFT 124308
www.neardeartherapy.com

05/22/2026

Just a friendly reminder, in reality, we are all in this together.
Warmly,
Amy Ratkovich LMFT 124308
www.neardeartherapy.com

05/15/2026

Dear Community,

Mental Health Awareness Month has helped bring important conversations into the open. Diagnosis, language, and increased awareness can reduce shame and help people feel understood, supported, and less alone.

At the same time, I think it’s important to remember that a diagnosis is meant to describe patterns of experience—not define the entirety of who someone is.

In my newest blog, You Are Not Your Diagnosis: Finding Hope Today, I explore both sides of this conversation: the relief labels can provide, and the psychological risks that can emerge when a diagnosis slowly becomes an identity rather than a point of understanding.

The goal is not to reject diagnosis or labels. The goal is to hold them with enough flexibility that room remains for growth, individuality, curiosity, and healing.

If this resonates with you, I invite you to read more here:
Near & Dear Therapy Blog

05/14/2026

Dear Friends and Community,

Many people—especially those who grew up around unpredictability, criticism, or emotional inconsistency—become highly sensitive to shifts in tone, distance, or perceived rejection.

A delayed text.
A sharp response.
Someone pulling away.

The nervous system can quickly interpret these moments as personal, even when the full story may have little to do with us.

Part of emotional growth is learning to pause before turning another person’s stress, distraction, or emotional state into a reflection of our worth.

Sensitivity is real.
But sensitivity is not always accuracy.

Sometimes healing begins with asking:
“Is this truly about me—or is an old wound speaking for me?”

Warmly,
Amy Ratkovich LMFT 124308

05/12/2026

May is Mental Health Awareness Month 💜

Sometimes the hardest part of mental health isn’t what’s happening around us—
it’s what’s happening within us.

This image captures something I see often in therapy:
there can be a gap between how we present to the world… and how we experience ourselves internally.

Self-reflection is the bridge.

When we slow down enough to notice our thoughts, emotions, and patterns—without judgment—we create the opportunity for real change. Not surface-level fixes, but deeper understanding.

And from there, everything shifts:

more clarity
more compassion
more choice

If this feels hard, you’re not doing it wrong.
It’s a skill—and it’s one you can learn.

If you’re ready to understand yourself on a deeper level, therapy can help.

Amy Ratkovich, LMFT 124308

05/11/2026

Today, or perhaps by the time you read this yesterday was mother's day.
I was reflecting on it all day hence my late night post.

Motherhood exists in many forms.

The mother who nurtures.
The mother who protects.
The mother who teaches.
The mother who sacrifices.
The mother who repairs.

And sometimes, the mother who wounds.

In psychology, the “mother” is more than a role — it is one of the deepest archetypes we carry. It can represent warmth, safety, nourishment, and unconditional love. It can also hold complexity: control, absence, grief, fear, resentment, or longing.

Many people spend adulthood learning not only how they were loved, but how they adapted to the love they received.

For some, Mother’s Day brings gratitude.
For others, sadness, ambivalence, distance, or reflection.

However this day meets you, may you meet yourself with compassion.

Happy Mother’s Day to the many faces of “mother.”

Warmly,

Amy Ratkovich LMFT 124308

05/07/2026

Dear Seeker,

You may look like you’re holding it together on the outside while internally feeling overwhelmed, emotionally exhausted, anxious, or stuck in the same painful patterns despite your insight. I work with women navigating anxiety, ADHD, relationship stress, and life transitions who are ready to understand what’s happening beneath the surface—not just manage symptoms.

My approach blends psychodynamic therapy, nervous system awareness, and practical real-world tools to help you build greater clarity, steadiness, and self-trust. Therapy with me is collaborative, thoughtful, and grounded in the belief that meaningful change happens when we slow things down enough to truly understand ourselves.
📍 Telehealth therapy for adults in California & Wisconsin
🌿 Walk-and-talk sessions available in the East Bay
🔗 Learn more at Near & Dear Therapy
www.ndeardeartherapy.com

Address

1460 Maria Lane #300
Walnut Creek, CA
94598

Website

https://www.neardeartherapy.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Near and Dear Therapy posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Near and Dear Therapy:

Want your business to be the top-listed Health & Beauty Business in Walnut Creek?