About Us
Dr Lisa Watkins
Dr Anna Harvey
Dr Sylvia B Smith
Dr Henry Smith
Victoria Jones
Dr Hia Jordan
Dr Lisa Watkins
- Founder, Talking Heads Social Work Consultancy Ltd
Social Worker
Systemic Practitioner
Training Consultant
Supervisor
- 🎓 PhD — Social Work Research
- 📋 Registered Social Worker (Social Work England)
- 🌿 Systemic Practitioner — Family Therapy background
- 📚 Training Consultant — 20+ years experience
- 🔬 Practice Researcher — children's services
- Hello and Welcome
I'm Dr Lisa Watkins — endlessly curious about people, relationships, and how change happens.
I’m a social worker, systemic practitioner, trainer, supervisor, researcher, and lifelong learner. More importantly, I’m someone who remains endlessly curious about people, relationships, and how change happens in our lives.
For nearly twenty years, I have worked alongside children, young people, families, and professionals within social work and children’s services. During that time, I have witnessed extraordinary resilience, courage, heartbreak, humour, and hope. These experiences continue to shape both who I am and how I work.
“Talking heads are useful — but thinking heads can change the world.”
Alongside my consultancy work, I continue to practise as a systemic practitioner within children’s services, working directly with families whose children may be considered on the edge of care. This role keeps me grounded in the realities of contemporary social work practice and connected to the experiences of the children, families, and practitioners I seek to support through my training and consultancy.
Working at the interface between family life, risk, resilience, and change reminds me daily of the complexity of social work and the importance of maintaining curiosity, compassion, and hope.
Why I Founded Talking Heads
I founded Talking Heads Social Work Consultancy because I believe that good social work begins with good conversations. Whether I am delivering training, providing supervision, facilitating reflective spaces, or supporting organisations to develop systemic practice, my passion lies in helping people slow down, think together, and discover new possibilities.
My work is influenced by systemic practice, reflective supervision, psychosocial thinking, and a simple belief that relationships matter. I am fascinated by the stories we inherit, the patterns we repeat, the assumptions we make, and the moments when a different conversation can create a different future.
“Every family has a story. Every practitioner has a story. Change begins when we become curious about both.”
My Approach to Practice
I don’t claim to have all the answers. In fact, one of the most valuable lessons social work has taught me is the importance of remaining curious. The best learning often happens when we stop searching for certainty and start asking better questions.
My practice and training are informed by a rich range of theoretical frameworks, including Morrison’s 4x4x4 model, Karl Tomm’s systemic questioning framework, Social GRACES and cultural humility, psychosocial approaches to risk and resilience, and attachment and relational theory. These frameworks aren’t simply academic tools — they are living ideas that I bring into every training room, supervision session and consultation.
Frameworks That Inform My Work
Morrison's 4x4x4 Model
Karl Tomm's Questioning Framework
Social GRACES
Reflective Supervision
Systemic Practice
Psychosocial Approaches
Attachment Theory
Infant Observation
Cultural Humility
Whether in a training room, supervision space or consultation, these frameworks help practitioners develop richer analytical thinking, deeper curiosity about families, and more purposeful, confident practice.
Research and Writing
Alongside my practice and consultancy work, I maintain an active interest in research and professional writing. I share reflections from practice, ideas from research, thoughts about leadership and supervision, and observations about life beyond social work. Some ideas may challenge, some may inspire, and some may simply offer a space to pause and think.
Whether you are a social worker, manager, student, researcher, or simply someone interested in people and relationships, I hope you find something here that sparks a thought, a conversation, or a new way of seeing.