Victoria Tomlinson

Dr. Vicki Tomlinson is a Professor in Sport & Performance Psychology, within the JFK School of Psychology and Social Sciences at National University (NU). Originally from the UK, Vicki’s journey in this field began at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU), where she earned her BSc in Psychology and Biology, and both her MSc and PhD in Sport Psychology, alongside three years of applied training and supervised experience to gain BASES accreditation (formerly British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences) and BPS Chartered Certification (British Psychological Society). She also qualified as an AASP-Certified Consultant, now known as CMPC (Certified Mental Performance Consultant) here in the US, where she went on to serve as a member of the inaugural Certification Council (CC) and Chair of the Application Review Committee (ARC) for five years (2017-2022).

Vicki taught at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU), before stepping into soccer full-time working as a Sport Psychologist (BPS Chartered Psychologist) and Head of Education & Welfare (HoEW) at a professional soccer club. She was fortunate enough to work as part of a collaborative interdisciplinary team across a variety of age groups, where she designed, led, and managed the coordination of all education and psychology development programs.

Vicki's doctoral research specialized in psychological well-being (PWB), exploring culture, context, and practice. Her research involved practitioner engagement, collaboration, and commitment to a process-change model that encouraged and facilitated significant changes to daily practice within a fast-paced performance environment. Placing emphasis on the importance of both athlete and coach/practitioner well-being.

After moving to the US, she quickly adapted to a new cultural and professional landscape, gaining experience within UCLA intercollegiate athletics, before relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area. There she served as the Sport Psychology Fieldwork Director (Applied Training) at John F. Kennedy University (JFKU), where she later advanced to Program Director.

As a pracademic (practitioner and academic), Vicki’s leadership, teaching, and research experiences are complemented by 20+ years of professional consulting practice, where she continues to gain invaluable knowledge, experience, and understanding across different sports and cultures within professional and high-performance environments, with reference to mental performance, psychological well-being, player development, and coaching practice. Previous experiences also include working with Great Britain (GB) Archery, including national and international competitions.