Why Choose OP Psyc?
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Licensed Clinical Psychologist in Washington state and California
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Decades of experience in martial arts and competition
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Expertise in brain injury, chronic illness, and neurological recovery
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Personalized, evidence-based telemental health care
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Confidential, secure, and accessible online therapy
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Doctor Shulze's Background and Training
Dr. Shulze was born and raised in sunny California. Since his first psychology course in 2007 at Saddleback Community College in Mission Viejo, CA, he knew he wanted to be a clinical psychologist. Dr. Shulze achieved his dream and became a licensed psychologist in early 2023. Before that time, he completed a doctorate (Ph.D.) in clinical psychology at the APA-accredited Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri. At Saint Louis University, Dr. Shulze was trained as a generalist clinical psychologist, meaning that he learned to treat all forms of psychopathology (mental illness). During this generalist training, he specialized in psychological and neurocognitive assessment, behavioral health consultation, and mental performance consultation. He was the lead sport psychology coordinator for SLU Sport Psyc Lab. He worked with many of the NCAA division 1 teams at Saint Louis University, providing performance enhancement, team and individual assessment, and clinical sport psychological services, such as helping athletes return to play after concussion, manage eating disorders, and other medical issues during the competitive season. Dr. Shulze worked closely with the sport medicine team and consulted widely with sport trainers, strength and conditioning coaches, NCAA Div. 1 coaches, orthopedic surgeons, physical therapists, nutritionists, and SLU administration, among others.
En route to meeting degree requirements, Dr. Shulze was a predoctoral intern at the Mann Grandstaff VA Medical Center in Spokane, Washington, where he continued to develop competency in neurocognitive assessment, trauma, substance use, and behavioral health consultation. The VA supported Dr. Shulze in pursuing a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship in Rehabilitation Psychology at the world-renowned Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center in Downey, California. At Rancho Los Amigos, Dr. Shulze served on rotations regarding traumatic brain injury, stroke (cerebrovascular accident), spinal cord injury, neurology service, epilepsy, diabetic limb amputation, among others. Dr. Shulze worked with an extremely diverse group of multinational clients, speaking many different languages, experiencing mental and medical illness that required comprehensive rehabilitation from a multidisciplinary team of physiatrists (doctors specializing in rehab), physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, social workers, nutrition, nursing, and many other medical specialities such as hepatology, hem-onc, neurology, nephrology, infectious disease, among others. Dr. Shulze completed detailed neurocognitive assessment, including medical decision-making capacity assessment, and brief individual psychotherapy to support patients' engagement in rehabilitation and return to the community. After completing a post-doc in 2023, Dr. Shulze transitioned to a staff psychologist position at the Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center spinal cord injury service in Long Beach, California. Dr. Shulze continues to work full-time at the Long Beach VA as a rehabilitation psychologist, and during his free time, he provides individual services at OP Psyc.
Dr. Shulze previously provided medical-legal assessment for personal injury and workers' compensation cases.
Conditions worked with, just to name a few, multiple sclerosis, Guillain-Barré, scleroderma, delirium, functional neurological disorder, neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorder, autoimmune, viral (e.g., neurosyphilis), bacterial/fungal and parasitic disorder of the brain, schizophrenia spectrum disorder, mild cognitive impairment, neurocognitive disorders (formerly known as dementia, acute delusional disorder, among many more co-occurring presentations.
About Doctor Shulze
Dr. Shulze was an MMA fan throughout high school and played many sports growing up, such as hockey, soccer, and baseball. He started training in mixed martial arts (MMA) in 2006 under Michael “Joker” Guymon in Lake Forest, CA. Dr. Shulze worked at a pharmacy delivering lift chairs and repairing power scooters to pay for training. This would be his first chance Dr. Shulze would have to work with individuals facing disability and difficulties with mobility (geriatric and rehabilitation populations). Despite the fulfilling nature of pharmacy, Dr. Shulze couldn’t resist following his passion for martial arts. In 2007, because of a friend's recommendation, Dr. Shulze took an opportunity to sell martial arts kimonos and apparel for a small (at the time) Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) academy named Gracie Barra, run by master Carlos Gracie Jr. It was not long before Dr. Shulze fell in love with BJJ/grappling and transitioned to being the program director for a franchise school in Santa Ana, CA, for the organization. While attending college, Dr. Shulze taught classes, managed the franchise school, and trained to compete in BJJ. Dr. Shulze won medals in many BJJ tournaments at the local, regional, Pan American, and world levels. However, Dr. Shulze recalled that he was able to perform well at times, especially in training, but would struggle with producing consistently high-quality performances in competition. Dr. Shulze expanded his interest in psychology generally to a focus on Sport and Performance Psychology.
Unfortunately, Dr. Shulze experienced significant injuries due to a motorcycle accident in 2012, which sidelined him from competition for several years. He reported not being able to walk for about 1 year collectively due to requiring multiple surgeries. Dr. Shulze dedicated himself to physical therapy in hopes on returning to BJJ again. Because of his experience, he developed an interest and knowledge in how athletes recover from injury.
While recovering, Dr. Shulze studied psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Because of Dr Shulze’s previous issues with performance consistency, he studied sport psychology and aided in research. By 2015, Dr. Shulze had returned to BJJ competition and moved to Northridge, California, to train under multiple-time world champion Romulo Barral. Dr. Shulze received his black belt from his long-time teacher and friend Ulpiano Malachias alongside Romulo Barral and master Vinicius Magalhães in 2017. After receiving his black belt, Dr. Shulze graduated with honors from the master's program in clinical psychology at California State University, Northridge. Dr. Shulze also conducted sport psychological research and published peer-reviewed scholarly articles at CSUN under Drs. Otten and Ruvalcaba.
In 2017, Dr. Shulze accepted admission to a doctoral (Ph.D.) program in clinical psychology with an emphasis on sport psychology at Saint Louis University in St. Louis, MO. Dr. Shulze continued to train and compete in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu during his doctoral study. He said this helped support well-being and his performance enhancement and clinical sport psych work with D1 athletes at SLU. Dr. Shulze graduated from SLU in 2021 after completing a pre-doctoral internship at the Spokane VA. He intended to move back to California to be in the Mecca of BJJ once more and be near family.
Dr. Shulze continues to train and compete as a masters-level black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and grappling. He described himself as a fan and MMA enthusiast. When asked why he enjoys working with combat sport athletes, Dr. Shulze has made the joke, half-quoting Liam Neeson from the movie Taken (2008), “…what I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career, skills that make me… a great benefit [not a nightmare] for people like you.” Dr. Shulze believes he has a unique set of skills in sport psychology, performance enhancement, rehabilitation psychology, and brain injury that allow him to provide the highest-quality services to athletes (amateur and professional) who train and fight hard and must recover from the rigors of combat sports.
Check out Dr. Shulze’s YouTube (Link?) channel for infotainment on performance under pressure, mental skills training, tips for learning martial arts quickly, and methods to prolong your martial arts participation.
Education
Doctorate in Psychology
Dr. Shulze is a licensed clinical psychologist based in California with a deep commitment to evidence-based telemental health services. A native of sunny Southern California, his journey in psychology began in 2007 at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, where he discovered his calling to become a clinical psychologist.
He earned his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the APA-accredited Saint Louis University in Missouri, completing rigorous generalist training in the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of mental health conditions. During his doctoral education, Dr. Shulze developed advanced specializations in psychological and neurocognitive assessment, behavioral health consultation, and clinical sport psychology. As the lead sport psychology coordinator at the SLU Sport Psychology Lab, he worked closely with NCAA Division I teams, offering mental performance training, team assessments, and clinical intervention to athletes, coaches, trainers, and medical professionals.
Experience
Extensive Clinical Psychology Training Rooted in Rehabilitation and Sport Performance.
Dr. Shulze completed his predoctoral internship at the Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center in Spokane, Washington, where he gained extensive experience in trauma-focused care, substance use treatment, behavioral health consultation, and neuropsychological evaluation.
He then pursued a competitive two-year postdoctoral fellowship in Rehabilitation Psychology at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center in Downey, California. There, he worked on multidisciplinary medical teams treating patients with complex conditions such as traumatic brain injury (TBI), spinal cord injury (SCI), stroke, epilepsy, limb amputation, and other neurological or medically complex disorders. He provided neurocognitive assessments, medical decision-making capacity evaluations, and brief evidence-based therapy to support emotional resilience and reintegration into the community.
In 2023, following the completion of his fellowship, Dr. Shulze became a staff psychologist with the Spinal Cord Injury and Disorders Program at the Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center in Long Beach. He continues to serve full-time in that capacity while also offering private telemental health sessions through OP Psyc.
In addition to his VA work, Dr. Shulze has provided medical-legal assessments for personal injury and workers’ compensation cases.
Specialized Training
Dr. Shulze has treated a broad spectrum of psychological and neurological conditions, including (but not limited to):
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Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
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Stroke (Cerebrovascular Accident)
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Spinal Cord Injury
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Multiple Sclerosis
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Guillain-Barré Syndrome
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Delirium
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Functional Neurological Disorder
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Neurodevelopmental and Neurodegenerative Disorders
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Autoimmune and Infectious Brain Disorders (e.g., neurosyphilis, fungal, parasitic, viral)
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Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders
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Neurocognitive Disorders (formerly dementia)
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Mood and Anxiety Disorders related to medical illness
Sport Psychology & Performance:
A Personal and Professional Passion
Dr. Shulze’s interest in sport psychology was shaped by both academic pursuit and personal experience. A lifelong martial arts enthusiast, he began training in mixed martial arts (MMA) in 2006 under UFC veteran Michael “Joker” Guymon in Lake Forest, CA. To support his training, he worked at a pharmacy, assisting customers with mobility needs—a formative experience that later influenced his work in rehabilitation psychology.
In 2007, Dr. Shulze began working with Gracie Barra, one of the world’s largest Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) organizations. He quickly advanced to become a program director at a franchise school in Santa Ana, CA. While balancing college coursework, he trained, taught classes, managed gym operations, and competed at the local, national, and international levels—including Pan-American and World BJJ competitions.
Though he demonstrated exceptional skill, Dr. Shulze struggled with performance inconsistency under pressure, which sparked his interest in the psychological aspects of athletic performance.
In 2012, a serious motorcycle accident led to multiple surgeries and extended periods of immobility. His recovery required a year of collective rehabilitation and reignited his focus on resilience and mental performance. During this time, he earned his undergraduate degree in psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he began research in sport psychology.
By 2015, he returned to BJJ competition and relocated to Northridge to train under world champion Romulo Barral. In 2017, he was awarded his black belt by Ulpiano Malachias, Romulo Barral, and Master Vinicius “Draculino” Magalhães. That same year, he graduated with honors from California State University, Northridge with a Master's in Clinical Psychology, having published research in sport psychology.
He later completed his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Saint Louis University, with continued emphasis on sport performance and well-being. Even while working full time and conducting doctoral research, Dr. Shulze continued to train and compete in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, describing it as a grounding force and an essential part of his personal growth and mental health.
Today, he continues to compete as a masters-level BJJ black belt and offers specialized sport psychology services to grappling athletes, MMA fighters, and other high-performance individuals.
Dr. Shulze often jokes—half-quoting Liam Neeson from Taken—that he has “a very particular set of skills,” honed over years of training and clinical practice. His expertise spans rehabilitation psychology, neuropsychology, sport performance enhancement, and trauma-informed care—making him a trusted ally for athletes, veterans, and individuals facing life-changing medical challenges.