Positive Behaviour Support Practitioner in Adelaide: Meet Tasha Youngman

Looking for an NDIS Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) Practitioner in Adelaide? Meet Tasha Youngman, who is a Proficient Behaviour Support Practitioner in north west Adelaide. 

Tasha’s work as a behaviour support practitioner is shaped by two decades of experience working in disability and mental health. Her qualifications include a Bachelor of Science (Health Sciences and Psychology), Diploma of Sports Nutrition and Post Graduate Diploma in Nutrition and Food Management. Tasha takes a person-centred, evidence-based and collaborative approach to her work and ensures that individuals and their families feel supported and safe. To get started with behaviour support in Adelaide, please make a referral here.

Meet Tasha Youngman, Behaviour Support Practitioner in Adelaide, SA

Hi Tasha, it’s wonderful to have you on our team in Adelaide — tell us about you!

Hi, I’m Tash — originally from Yorkshire in the UK and now proud to call Adelaide home after 7.5 wonderful years. I’m passionate about helping people live meaningful, empowered lives, and I bring over 20 years experience supporting individuals and families across disability, mental health, and culturally diverse communities.

Throughout my career, I’ve worked alongside children, adolescents, and adults to help them achieve their NDIS and therapy goals. My approach is grounded in empathy, capacity building, and evidence-based practice. I believe in leading by example and walking alongside families as they navigate both challenges and celebrations.

I offer support across home, school, and community settings, with a focus on:

• Parent-led coaching and therapy
  
• Behaviour support and understanding the function of behaviours
  
• Emotional regulation and coping strategies
  
• Strengthening family and caregiver confidence
  
• Practical strategies to promote independence and daily living skills

Whether you're seeking guidance at home, in educational environments, or within the community, I’m here to help you build the skills, tools, and confidence needed to live a safer, happier, and more fulfilling life.

Behaviour Support and Capacity Building

You’re a Proficient Behaviour Support Practitioner — tell us about your experience supporting children and adults.

I’ve had the privilege of supporting children, adults, and their families in a wide range of settings, each with their own unique goals and challenges. My experience spans school environments, home support, and community-based programs. In schools, I work closely with School Services Officers (SSOs), teachers, and principals to support transition periods, recess interactions, emotional regulation, and the development of social skills. I’m passionate about creating consistency across environments so that the strategies we develop are meaningful and sustainable.

My specialty lies in behaviour support and behaviour change. I genuinely enjoy helping people overcome barriers that may be holding them back — whether that’s a mindset that “change can’t happen,” limited access to resources, or financial constraints. Together, we explore options, build confidence, and develop practical, achievable strategies that empower individuals and families to move forward.

Working as Part of Your Team

Positive Behaviour Support is just one part of a person’s support system — tell us how you work with a person’s support team and other NDIS providers.

A lack of support is something many families experience, and navigating what’s available can feel overwhelming. I regularly assist with identifying and referring to additional supports when needed, including family counselling, individual counselling, mentoring, supervision, and more.

Quality support rarely happens in isolation, and I value working collaboratively as part of a wider support team. I have extensive experience partnering with occupational therapists, speech pathologists, GPs, paediatricians, play therapists, SSO’s, teachers, and other professionals. I often describe it as each of us holding a “piece of the pie” — working together around a person to ensure their needs, goals, and voice remain at the centre of every decision.

Positive Behaviour Support in Adelaide

Promoting Safe, Positive Behaviour Support

Can you share an example of how you’ve seen Positive Behaviour Support impact on a person’s life?

In my work, I am committed to ensuring that every child receives safe, respectful, and least-restrictive support. One example of this was working with a child in a school setting where a high-risk restrictive practice — a “bear hug” hold — had been used by staff to manage challenging behaviours.

After assessing the situation, I collaborated with the school team to remove this practice entirely, significantly reducing risk to the child’s health and wellbeing and included it within their comprehensive behaviour support plan which was further monitored and reviewed regularly to keep current.

From there, I worked 1:1 with the child to build their capacity to regulate emotions, develop coping strategies, and practice these skills consistently as they moved through different life stages. By focusing on proactive, strengths-based approaches, we created safer, more effective supports that promoted the child’s independence, confidence, and long-term wellbeing. In addition this was built with the parents and their routine enabling consistent messaging that was often practised and modelled to the child in between therapy sessions.

Supporting Parents and Caregivers

What about families — have you seen Positive Behaviour Support improve quality of life for not just NDIS participants but their families too? Can you share an example?

Many of the parents and caregivers I work with are feeling exhausted, burnt out, overwhelmed, and unsure of how to cope. Supporting families through these challenges is a central part of my role as a Behaviour Support Practitioner, and something I am genuinely passionate about.

I work closely with parents and caregivers to develop their capacity, strengthen coping strategies, and build confidence in their role. This not only supports the parent but also provides a positive model for the child, creating flow-on benefits for the whole family.

I often say that our long-term goal is to “work ourselves out of a job”. By building practical, sustainable skills within a family’s toolkit, we aim to create lasting outcomes—helping families regulate emotions, maintain happy home environments, and support ongoing skill development that can grow with them throughout life.

In addition to this, I am able to refer parents and caregivers to free, confidential counselling services. These services offer a dedicated hour for the parent or caregiver to focus on themselves, talk through challenges, and receive additional support that is accessible, meaningful, and tailored to their needs.

Supporting NDIS participants in Adelaide

What can NDIS participants in Adelaide expect from you as their behaviour support practitioner?

When you work with me, you can expect:

• Passion – genuine care and commitment to supporting your journey
  
• Authenticity – honest, transparent, and person-centred practice
  
• Commitment – staying focused on your goals and progress
  
• Dedication – going the extra mile to ensure meaningful outcomes
  
• Motivation – encouraging positive change and growth
  
• Encouragement – uplifting support every step of the way
  
• Support – practical, emotional, and evidence-based guidance
  
• Time – taking the time needed to understand your unique needs
  
• Flexibility – adapting to your schedule, strengths, and challenges
  
• Responsiveness – clear communication and timely follow-up
  
• Effectiveness – strategies that are practical, achievable, and sustainable

Motivational Interviewing and Behaviour Support

Can you tell us about motivational interviewing? What part can this play in a Positive Behaviour Support service?

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a key approach I use within Positive Behaviour Support to help individuals explore their goals, strengths, and readiness for change. MI is a gentle, respectful, and collaborative style of communication that supports people to make positive choices in their own time.

Using MI, I help participants, parents, and caregivers to:

• Understand what they want to change and why it matters to them
  
• Overcome ambivalence (feeling unsure or stuck)
  
• Build confidence in their ability to make lasting changes
  
• Identify strengths, resources, and achievable next steps
  
• Stay motivated and engaged throughout the behaviour support process

Motivational Interviewing is especially effective when someone feels overwhelmed, resistant, or doubtful about change. By guiding conversations with empathy, curiosity, and respect, MI helps people move from “I’m not sure I can do this” to “I’m ready to give it a try.”

It’s a powerful tool that complements behaviour support, ensuring strategies are not just implemented — but genuinely understood, meaningful, and sustainable.

How to get started with Positive Behaviour Support in Adelaide

How can NDIS participants in Adelaide get started with Positive Behaviour Support?

Participants or members of their support team can make an online referral on our website anytime.

Service Area – Adelaide Region

Where do you provide Positive Behaviour Support in Adelaide?

I provide behaviour support services across West Lakes and surrounding areas within a 50km radius of Adelaide. This includes (but is not limited to):

• West Lakes
• Henley Beach
• Grange
  
• Semaphore
  
• Port Adelaide
  
• Woodville
  
• Findon
  
• Fulham and Fulham Gardens
  
• West Beach
  
• Glenelg and Brighton areas
  
• Prospect &and surrounding inner-north suburbs
  
• Western and north-western suburbs
  
• Northern suburbs toward Gawler
  
• Eastern suburbs toward Campbelltown and Magill
• Southern suburbs toward Marion and Hallett Cove

If you're unsure whether your location is included, feel free to reach out — I’m flexible and happy to confirm if I can support you in your area.

If NDIS participants are on a wait list to get started with Positive Behaviour Support in Adelaide, is there anything they should do to prepare for their first meeting with you?

Absolutely — you can visit our website to learn more about who we are and what we do.

On our site, you can meet our team, explore our services, and even watch some of our fantastic free training videos that explain our approach to Positive Behaviour Support and how we work with participants and families.

We genuinely welcome questions. The more you ask, the better we understand your needs and how to support you effectively. So please feel free to reach out — no question is too big or too small!

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Frequently Asked Questions about Positive Behaviour Support in Adelaide, SA

Where can I find Positive Behaviour Support in Adelaide, South Australia? If you’re an NDIS participant in Adelaide, we can support you with person-centred Positive Behaviour Support.

What is Positive Behaviour Support (PBS)? Positive Behaviour Support transforms quality of life by building new support strategies, skills and behaviours to meet your needs and goals. Click here to read an article and watch a video where Belinda explains Positive Behaviour Support.

What is an NDIS Positive Behaviour Support Plan? A Positive Behaviour Support Plan (PBSP) is a document developed to improve a person’s quality of life. Vanessa explains PBS plans in this article and video.

Which NDIS funds can I use for Positive Behaviour Support? Positive Behaviour Support has its own funding category in the Capacity Building budget. If you can’t see behaviour support funding in your NDIS plan, you may be able to get started with behaviour support and then continue with further support once sufficient NDIS funding is available in your NDIS plan. Click here to view further information about NDIS plans and behaviour support.

How do I make a referral for Positive Behaviour Support in Adelaide? If you’re an NDIS participant in Adelaide, you can make an online referral anytime. If you prefer, a member of your support team can make the referral, such as a parent, doctor, support coordinator or allied health professional (occupational therapist, speech therapist, psychologist etc).

Where can I find more information about behaviour support in Adelaide? If you have any questions about Positive Behaviour Support in the Adelaide, please feel welcome to call our team on 1300 694 625 or send a message to our team using our contact form.