Sidonia Stiles, BACP

Sidonia Stiles, who also goes by Sonia, maintains a private practice based at The Natural Fitnesses Centre in Eastbourne, United Kingdom. She practices from a person-centred perspective alongside relationship-focused psychodynamic work, supporting individuals and couples through relationship difficulties, bereavement, anxiety, stress and depression, and has experience working with the LGBT community in both relationship and one-to-one settings.

Before training as a counsellor, Sidonia spent ten years as a group worker for the local council, supporting residential young people and working with families through challenging relational dynamics. That background informs her clinical interest in upbringing and family systems, including the use of genograms as a clinical tool to map family patterns and help explore how early experiences shape present relationships.

Sidonia is a registered counsellor with the BACP - the UK professional association for counsellors and psychotherapists. Her formal training includes an HND Diploma in Person Centred Counselling (2006) and a Level 5 Diploma in Relationship Therapy (2019) awarded by CPCAB - Counseling & Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body. She draws on Gestalt-informed ideas when working with grief and loss, aiming to respect each person’s individual experience. Sidonia offers appointments most evenings from 6-8pm and at weekends, and she now provides online sessions as well.

Approaches, Collaboration, and Online Support

Sidonia brings a person-centred approach to online work, prioritizing a compassionate, nonjudgmental stance that helps people explore their feelings and choices at their own pace - this approach is useful for anxiety, depression, identity questions and general life transitions.

Attachment-Based Therapy in her practice focuses on patterns formed in early relationships and how those patterns show up in adult connections; it is particularly helpful for relationship difficulties, intimacy concerns and issues linked to abandonment or caregiving histories.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) complements these approaches by helping people clarify values, accept difficult internal experiences, and commit to meaningful action - it can support coping with stress, grief and ongoing emotional challenges.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process and Sidonia works collaboratively with each person to determine which methods best match their needs, goals and preferences. Licensed professionals and therapists often combine techniques to suit individual circumstances.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility - sessions can take place by video call or phone, and shorter contacts are possible via live chat or text-based messaging. This variety makes it easier to fit therapy around work, caregiving or geographic constraints and supports ongoing access to consistent therapeutic support.