Family Engagement Specialist for Community Wellness and Peer Support Team
Email: adaminah.tankersly@austin.utexas.edu
Adaminah Solita Tankersly (she/her/hers), is a Community Wellness and Peer Support consultant with the National Training and Technical Assistance Center for Children, Youth, and Family Mental Health (NTTAC). Ms. Tankersly has been a strong advocate for families living with mental and behavioral health needs for many years. Adaminah was one of the first Family Support Specialists to work with families at Philadelphia’s Northeast Treatment Centers (NET). In this role, she worked as the Parent Resource Coordinator for NET at the Philadelphia Autism Center for Excellence and facilitated Autism parenting classes as well as parent support groups. Currently, Ms. Tankersly is involved in developing organizational infrastructure, capacity, and system support to empower families and youth with behavioral health needs. Adaminah is a founding Executive Board member and President of Philadelphia Family Voices (PFV), the first family-run organization launched in Philadelphia County. PFV provides an array of family peer support services. Adaminah is also an active member of multiple committees that impact child and family services and supports, including the Philadelphia System of Care (PSOC) County Leadership Team, PSOC System Planning, PSOC Cultural and Linguistic Competency committee, DBHIDS Family Member committee, Women and Girls of Color, and the Intensive Behavioral Health Services coordinating council. She has spoken as a Family Member on several DBHIDS panels and participated in workgroups regarding Residential Treatment Facilities (RTF) for youth mental health. In addition, Adaminah co-facilitates a course entitled, “Changing the Crisis Care Experience for Youth & Families” for the Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbilities Services (DBHIDS). Adaminah also serves as a collaborator in developing the “Autism Navigator Training & Curriculum” with Drexel University’s A. J. Drexel Autism Institute. Furthermore, Adaminah has worked with several local and state agencies in developing Children Standards for Mental Health. She previously traveled to Harrisburg to attend PA state-level regulatory meetings regarding children’s mental health. Along with a fellow PFV Executive Board member Ms. Tankersly was able to advocate for regulatory changes regarding restrictive interventions. As a result of PFV’s advocacy, insurance companies are now able to offer paid de-escalation and proper holds trainings for parents and families of children that self-harm, elope, and have aggression. As a life-long advocate, Adaminah continues to navigate behavioral health systems, maintain guardianship of her adult son, and utilize her lived experience to help other youth and families.
Projects
NTTAC and Community Wellness
Peer Support
