Men's Water Polo
- Title:
- Senior Associate Athletic Director (Culture and Value Based Continuity)
- Phone:
- (213) 740-7711
Robin Scholefield, PhD. is the Director of Culture, Wellbeing & Clinical and Sport Psychological Services, overseeing individual services for our student athletes as well as services related to team culture, cohesion, leadership, and performance enhancement. She spearheads department efforts to create and maintain a healthy department culture and an environment of wellbeing for all student athletes. Robin is Co-Executive Director of The Performance Science Institute, formally under the Marshall School of Business. In collaboration with her Co-Executive Director (Dr. Ben Houltberg), PSI and sport psych have created a purposed-based performance program for teams, and through their research they are working to make it evidence based. Robin is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Keck School of Medicine of USC and an Associate Director of Counseling & Mental Health.
Robin’s professional interests include clinical and performance work with student-athletes, programming with teams, consultation with Athletic administration, coaches and staff regarding policy, program development, team dynamics and mental health issues, conflict management, multicultural mental health, first-generation college student issues, and the range of behavioral and emotional issues college student-athletes manage with full schedules in a highly competitive academic and athletic environment, the life cycle of elite athletes, USC Student-Athlete Mentor Program founder, Co-founder of Foundations of Self classes, interpersonal/dynamic therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
She received her doctorate and master’s in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology. She received her bachelor’s of science in business finance for USC and did supplemental studies in English literature at Cambridge University. Her first career was as an analyst in investment banking on Wall Street. She subsequently was a volunteer teacher at Starehe Boys Center, an orphanage and school in Nairobi, Kenya, where she taught English, social ethics and swimming. It was this experience that led to her career change into psychology.
A former swimmer at USC, she earned a bronze medal as a 13-year-old at the 1976 Olympics as part of Canada’s 400-meter medley relay team and placed ninth in the 100 meter breaststroke. She won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in 1978.
Robin has a partner and three children. She loves hiking, skiing, mountain biking and being with family and friends.
