Andrea Higginson

About Me

Kia ora, I’m Andrea, a Wellington-based counsellor in private practice working under the name Nurturing Nature Counselling. My practice is grounded in the understanding that we are all part of the diversity of nature, and that wellbeing can be nurtured by our relationship with our humanness, our body, our whānau, community, culture, and the natural world.

Previously, I was counselling at the Kāpiti Women’s Centre and Lower Hutt Women’s Centre. Before becoming a counsellor, I worked as a remedial massage and craniosacral therapist. These experiences continue to inform my embodied, holistic, and relational approach.

I am Pākehā and have a heartfelt commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, social justice, and culturally responsive practice. I also identify as neurodivergent and gender-affirming, and I aim to offer a flexible, inclusive space that honours different ways of thinking, feeling, and being.

Areas I Work With

People often come to see me for support with:

• Fatigue, overwhelm, and burnout
• Anxiety, emotional dysregulation, and low mood
• Grief and loss
• Caregiving and compassion fatigue
• Work and life pressures
• Chronic health conditions
• Relationship challenges
• Life transitions and change
• Untangling stuck or repeating patterns
• Identity, meaning, and purpose
• Reconnection with self, body, and values

My Approach

My focus is on supporting people to feel safe enough to slow down, reflect, and reconnect with themselves. Sessions are paced gently, with attention to grounding, safety, and integration. I see clients as holding their own lived wisdom, and I work alongside them to support insight, growth, and nourishing ways of living.

I work from a relational, pluralistic, and trauma-informed framework, drawing on approaches such as:

• Person-centred and collaborative counselling
• Te Whare Tapa Whā
• Polyvagal-informed understanding of stress and regulation
• Mindfulness-based and embodied approaches
• Internal Family Systems (IFS)-informed practice
• Deep ecology perspectives