Jonathan Schultz

Mental Health Advocate and Public Speaker on OCD

My name is Jonathan Schultz. I am a fulltime professor and counselor at Bakersfield College and I supervise and coach a group of doctoral students for the University of La Verne. I am also a researcher, writer, speaker, social media influencer and mental health advocate. I have a Master’s degree in School Counseling and a Doctorate degree in Organizational Leadership. I have been married since 2012 and have 3 wonderful children.

Growing up I had a very good childhood. My parents were supportive, and I had a lot of great friends. I played baseball until my senior year in college, managed to get good grades, and by all accounts, I had everything figured out. However, I struggle with severe mental health issues. For as long as I can remember I have had a horrible attention span, anxiety, depression and intrusive thoughts.

I was formally diagnosed with anxiety, depression, and attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) when I was 18 years old. Three years later, after suffering my first major mental breakdown, I was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

While my life stabilized, I still struggled because of untreated OCD. After suffering a second mental breakdown in 2020, which caused me to take a leave from work, I decided to shift my focus to helping people with mental health struggles.

Through my research, writing, speaking, and advocacy work, it’s my goal to bring awareness and resources to people that struggle with mental illness, specifically OCD and related disorders.

My long-term goal is to create a foundation that will help pay for mental health therapy for people who cannot afford it.