Sarah Wittams-Howarth

Monday evening online

Tuesday morning / afternoon / evening online only

Wednesday morning

Thursday morning / afternoon

Friday morning / afternoon

I mainly offer counselling outdoors in and around Sheffield and the Peak District with some sessions available online. Being outside naturally lowers stress, supports nervous system regulation, and helps clients feel more grounded. Walking side-by-side can also ease the pressure of direct eye contact, making it easier to open up. The natural world offers metaphors, space, and calm that can deepen reflection and insight. Whether we’re sitting under a tree or walking a quiet path, nature becomes an active third party in the session—supportive, spacious, and healing. Outdoor therapy invites a slower pace, helping clients reconnect with themselves in an embodied and authentic way.  

I have a Masters in Counselling from Leeds Beckett University and a Level 3 in Integrative Counselling. I have also undertaken training in Understanding Therapeutic Practice in Outdoor Natural Spaces with the Centre for Natural Reflection. 

My relationship with the natural world has changed and developed throughout my life. As a child the outdoors was a source of joy and wonder. I loved climbing trees, flying kites, making dens in ferns, swimming in our local river and on holidays in the sea. I loved learning about the natural world from my relatives.

As an older adolescent I discovered hillwalking, climbing and mountaineering. I loved the way this got me to secluded places with often incredible vantage points to experience views shared by few others. In my 17 years as a teacher I spent time taking students to the Peak District, North Wales, and abroad to walk and climb and explore.

I realised nature was a place for me to reconnect with myself in evenings climbing in the Peak District after a stressful day’s teaching. Now I spend time walking and running in nature as ways to support myself. I feel connected to a part of something far greater than myself and this feels profoundly healing as it shifts my focus to the wider world.

I have experience working with young people from 14 upwards, university students and adults. Material clients have brought to sessions includes relationship issues (of all kinds); neurodivergence; gender, sexuality, and relationship diversity; grief and loss; trauma; abuse of all kinds; friendship; loneliness; overwhelm; racism and other societal inequalities. 

Sessions are £55 per hour. Discounted rates available for student therapists.

Payment is required on the day of the session and can be made by cash or bank transfer.

You are warmly invited to get in touch via email, text, or voice message. We will arrange a time where we can meet online or over the phone for around 20 - 30 minutes to explore working together. The first meeting will be charged at a flat fee of £20. If we decide to proceed and you wish to work outside we’ll have a second meeting in the space to explore what working outside means for you and how best we can tailor the process to best suit your needs. The second season will be 50 minutes and will be charged at £55.

These initial sessions will allow us to see whether we are a good fit. We will explore the following things to help me understand how best to support you:

What you are wanting to explore and any goals you have for therapy.

Whether you have had therapy before and anything you found helped or hindered that.

Whether you are having suicidal thoughts or thoughts of harming yourself or others in some way.

How you support yourself in difficult times including relevant medication you have.

If we are exploring working outside together, I will also ask about your relationship with nature.

If we decide to work together, we will arrange a first therapy session during which I’ll ask you to sign a therapy contract which sets out the conditions of how we work together. A copy of which can be found here.

I regularly review how work is progressing and always value feedback to help me support you in the best way I can and make any changes necessary to do this. The length of time we work together is agreed collaboratively to meet the needs of progress, budgets, and circumstances.