When it comes to seeking mental health information, online searches and chats with artificial intelligence (AI) can help us sift through data, read about others’ experiences and opinions, and begin to make sense of what we’ve been feeling. It can also lead us to local resources, reviews of clinics and clinicians, and to info on who has the shortest/longest wait times.

All of this is good to know. Having AI at our fingertips is like having a compass in our backpack — a valuable tool to give us initial direction in our quest to feel better.

For the journey ahead, we’ll need more. Because while AI is impressive, and becoming more so every day, it will never be human. And when we’re struggling with whatever it is we’re struggling with, there’s nothing like sharing that with someone who knows the human condition from the inside out: who helps us better understand ourselves by bringing their compassion and empathy to the discussion. This is the most healing quality professional therapists offer to the people they work with.

Professional therapists are also knowledgeable about brain science, including the link between mental health and genetic factors. That’s why they pay careful attention to a person’s family history when they first meet with them, just as medical providers do. And family history can explain a lot.

When people start experiencing psychological symptoms that are uncomfortable or upsetting, they may feel that this is unique to them or think that they somehow caused it.  Yet nothing could be farther from the truth. And when encouraged to look back through their family tree, they frequently discover a parent, grandparent, or other relation who also had bouts of the blues. Or who stayed close to home for fear of panicking in public. Or who never graduated high school because they had too much trouble sitting still.

In the same way that our family medical history can make us more prone to developing arthritis, high blood pressure, or diabetes, so may it increase the likelihood of our experiencing depression, anxiety, or other mental health challenges. Knowing more about the impact of brain science and genetics on our mental health can speed up the time it takes to get the help we need and equip us with strategies to help maintain our health over time.

Sometimes, these genetic links are clear. Other times, especially with regard to mental health, they’re harder to pinpoint because people may have been reluctant to admit they needed help to address the symptoms they were having. Fortunately, we now have more treatment options to offer than ever before, given our increased understanding of how the brain works and the impact this can have on our thoughts.

While professional therapists are pulling together science, family history, and facts to help someone better understand what they’re going through, they may also call on the expertise of their medical colleagues to explore medication and/or other treatment options. Listening with full attention and care, therapists and providers work together to create space for people to view their present situation with greater clarity and envision the positive potential ahead.

Face-to-face therapeutic relationships are not something that can ever be branded, packaged, or measured by algorithms alone; they are deeply human and unique to each person and their specific life circumstances. As a therapist myself, I believe that every one of us can benefit from therapy at various points in our lives — when physical and/or psychological symptoms show up to let us know that it’s time to pay attention. It’s the human condition, after all. And when this happens, how fortunate we are to have support available.

Dr. Elaine Campbell is senior vice president of Clinical Services for ServiceNet and River Valley Counseling Center.