Sidonia Stiles , BACP

Sidonia Stiles is a counsellor based in Eastbourne who combines a person-centred stance with relationship-focused work to help individuals and couples navigate difficult moments in life. She has particular experience supporting people with relationship challenges, bereavement, anxiety, stress and depression, and has also worked with members of the LGBT community in both couples and one-to-one settings.

Before training as a counsellor, she spent ten years as a group worker for the local council supporting residential young people and working with families through complex relationship dynamics. That background informs her approach to family and relational issues and her use of clinical tools such as genograms to explore how upbringing and family patterns shape present-day relationships.

Sidonia is a registered counsellor with the BACP, which stands for the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. Her formal training includes an HND Diploma in Person Centred counselling (2006) and a Level 5 Diploma in Relationship Therapy (2019) awarded by CPCAB, the Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body. She also draws on Gestalt-informed perspectives when working with grief and loss, offering attention to each person’s unique experience of bereavement.

She runs a private practice in Eastbourne, typically working evenings and weekends, and since the Covid pandemic has been offering online sessions. Sidonia accepts new clients and works with both local and international clients through a range of remote session formats.

Integrating therapeutic approaches with online sessions

Client-Centered Therapy places the client at the heart of the work and emphasizes empathy, acceptance and collaboration. It supports people who are exploring personal values, self-esteem, relationship patterns and life transitions by creating a non-directive environment where clients lead the pace and focus of sessions.

Attachment-Based Therapy explores how early relationships influence present-day bonds and emotional responses. It can help clients understand patterns in romantic relationships, family dynamics and responses to loss, offering ways to build more secure connections and manage triggers related to abandonment or attachment wounds.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process and Sidonia works collaboratively with clients to determine what fits best. She discusses goals, preferences and life circumstances, and may blend methods so therapy remains practical, relevant and aligned with each person’s needs.

Online therapy with licensed professionals offers flexibility - sessions can take place by video call, over the phone, via live chat or through text-based messaging. This range of options helps clients access support from different locations and at times that suit their schedules, while allowing therapists and clients to adapt format and frequency as progress unfolds.