Isabella Faraj, LCSW
Isabella earned her Master’s in Social Work from Aurora University after completing her undergraduate degree in Social Work at Franciscan University of Steubenville. She works with individuals experiencing ADHD, anxiety, and interpersonal difficulties. Isabella takes an individualized approach to therapy, drawing from a variety of therapeutic interventions based on each person’s unique needs. Her clinical approaches include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT).
Isabella has experience working in a variety of mental health settings, including Western Psychiatric Hospital in Pittsburgh. Most recently, she spent four years working as a school counselor in Colorado. These experiences have given her the opportunity to support individuals through a wide range of challenges.
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Excerpts from an Interview
Q. How do you find meaning in your work?
A. I find meaning in my work through the opportunity to provide compassionate, capable care and to create a space where people feel understood. I try to meet each person with empathy, understand their goals and stressors, and help them recognize the strengths and tools they already have to move forward. St. Irenaeus wrote, “The glory of God is man fully alive,” and that idea resonates deeply with me. I see my work as a calling to help people move toward that sense of wholeness and live more fully.
Q. Where do you find the strength to deal with other people's pain and suffering you encounter daily?
A. I find great consolation in a consistent prayer life and in meeting Jesus at the cross. When I receive the grace I need for each person and each moment, I am reminded that Jesus carries the cross with us. I don't believe the role of a therapist is to take another person's suffering on as our own, but rather to have the privilege of walking alongside someone and accompanying them on their journey. That perspective allows me to remain compassionate and present without losing hope.
Q. How do you integrate the science of psychology with Christian values as a therapist at the Family Counseling Center?
A. I believe that science and faith are not in conflict, but can complement and enrich one another in understanding the whole person. I value the science of psychology and seek to provide care that is grounded in sound clinical research and ethical practice. In that, I recognize that there is a role of faith that plays into a person's holistic health. In therapy, I want to create a space where each person can decide whether and how their spirituality or faith is incorporated into counseling. I see the integration of psychology and Christian faith as an opportunity to care for the whole person—honoring both what we can learn through psychological science and the deeper questions of meaning, purpose, and human flourishing.
Q. What do you say to clients who are not Christian who seek services from you?
I would reassure them that they are welcome and that they do not need to share my Christian faith to feel respected, understood, and cared for in therapy. My approach is patient-centered, and I meet each person with the same compassion, respect, and openness regardless of their beliefs, worldview, or background.