Izabel McCaffrey

Izabel “Izzie” — Counselor in Greensboro, NC Hi, I’m Izabel, and I also go by "Izzie". I’m a counselor at Santos Counseling in Greensboro, NC, where I work with adults, teens, children, couples, and families who may be experiencing anxiety, burnout, trauma, grief, relationship challenges, major life transitions, or simply feeling overwhelmed by everything they are carrying. I have a particular interest in supporting neurodivergent individuals, military members and military families, couples and families, and people navigating cultural identity and generational experiences. As a Mexican American woman who comes from a family of immigrants and has a military family background, I understand that our relationships, families, communities, cultures, and lived experiences can shape how we understand ourselves and how comfortable we feel asking for help. Therapy should be a place where those parts of you are welcomed rather than something you have to leave at the door. My Approach to Counseling I believe healing happens through relationships where people feel safe, understood, respected, and accepted. Asking for help can be difficult, especially when you have spent a long time trying to manage things on your own. My goal is to build a strong therapeutic relationship with you where there is room for self-compassion, authenticity, curiosity, empowerment, and growth. My counseling approach is grounded in Person-Centered and Relational Therapy, while incorporating evidence-based strategies and techniques from Narrative Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and somatic approaches. Together, we may explore how your experiences have shaped the stories you tell yourself, develop healthier ways of responding to difficult emotions, strengthen your connection with your body, and work toward creating a greater sense of safety and authenticity in everyday life. I don’t believe therapy should look exactly the same for everyone. Whether I’m working with a child, teenager, or adult, I incorporate creative and evidence-informed strategies that fit the person sitting across from me. Couples & Family Counseling Relationships can be a source of tremendous connection, but they can also become places where people feel misunderstood, disconnected, or stuck in the same painful patterns. In my work with couples, I incorporate principles and techniques from Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) to help partners better understand the emotions and attachment needs underneath conflict. Our work may focus on strengthening communication, rebuilding emotional safety, increasing vulnerability, improving intimacy, and helping each partner feel more secure and connected within the relationship. For families, counseling can provide a space to better understand relationship patterns, strengthen communication, and create healthier ways of supporting one another. Anxiety, Burnout & Life Transitions Sometimes anxiety doesn’t look like constant worry. It can look like overthinking, perfectionism, difficulty relaxing, feeling responsible for everyone around you, or pushing yourself until you are completely exhausted. I work with clients experiencing anxiety, stress, burnout, work or school pressure, identity concerns, and major life transitions. Therapy can provide space to slow down, understand what is happening beneath the surface, develop greater self-compassion, and build strategies that help life feel more manageable. Trauma & Grief Counseling Trauma and grief can affect the way we experience ourselves, our relationships, and even our sense of safety in the world. I support clients working through traumatic experiences, traumatic grief, generational trauma, and difficult family experiences. Our work is paced collaboratively, with attention to creating emotional and physical safety rather than forcing you to talk about something before you feel ready. I have also completed Psychological First Aid training through the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, which strengthened my understanding of trauma-informed support for children, teens, and adults experiencing crisis or overwhelming stress following traumatic events. Counseling for Teens & Young Adults Growing up and figuring out who you are can already be complicated. Add school, relationships, family expectations, social pressures, cultural identity, neurodivergence, sexuality, or uncertainty about the future, and it can become overwhelming quickly. I enjoy helping teens, college students, and young adults navigate anxiety, identity development, relationships, school and work-life balance, family concerns, life transitions, and the process of developing a stronger sense of self. My goal is to provide a space where younger clients can feel respected and heard while developing tools that help them better understand themselves and navigate the world around them. Neurodivergent-Affirming Counseling There is no single “right” way for a brain to experience the world. I have a particular interest in working with neurodivergent clients, including people exploring how neurodivergence affects relationships, identity, emotional regulation, school, work, communication, and everyday life. Rather than approaching differences as something that automatically needs to be fixed, therapy can help identify strengths, understand challenges, build self-compassion, and develop strategies that work with the way you experience the world. My Education & Experience I earned my Bachelor’s degrees in Sociology and Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) in 2022. In 2026, I returned to UNCG and earned my Master of Science in Counseling and Educational Development with a concentration in Couples and Family Counseling. During my clinical training at the Nicholas A. Vacc Counseling and Consulting Clinic, I worked with college students, adults, couples, and families with young children. I supported clients navigating life transitions, work and school stress, relationship concerns, community and belonging, generational trauma, traumatic grief, identity development, neurodivergence, and trauma. Why I Became a Counselor One of the most important things I have learned is that life doesn’t have to feel so painful all of the time. I became a counselor because I wanted to support people who feel alone in what they are carrying and create a space where emotional wounds that once felt too heavy can begin to heal. Sometimes healing starts with simply having another person willing to sit beside you while you figure out what comes next. A Little About Me Outside of counseling, I enjoy spending time with my community, playing online multiplayer and simulation games, crocheting, collecting little trinkets that have stories behind them, discovering my next random fun fact, and singing the same song in the car far too many times. I believe those small pieces of who we are matter. Therapy doesn’t have to be cold or overly clinical. There can be room for humor, creativity, curiosity, culture, and the things that make you feel most like yourself.