Representatives of the LOEWE Research Center DYNAMIC had the opportunity to present parts of their network research at the online lunch meeting of the interest group “Evidence-based Personalized Psychotherapy Research” (ePePsy) of the German Psychological Society (DGPs) on August 25th, 2025. Interested practitioners and researchers from DYNAMIC were among the listeners. This allowed a broad audience to participate in lively discussions on the topic of “A sober look at the potential of network analyses for clinical practice: challenges and further developments” – with various questions, experiences and suggestions. 

After a general introduction to the use of networks in clinical practice by Dr. Saskia Scholten (organizer, RPTU Landau), Kilian Stenzel (DYNAMIC, Philipps-University Marburg) presented challenges and solutions of smartphone-based surveys. Lea Schumacher (University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf) then presented the latest statistical modeling approaches. Verena Hofmann (RPTU Landau) gave an introduction to treatment selection based on networks. Lucie Pahlen (DYNAMIC, Goethe-University Frankfurt) then discussed the latest developments in network control theory for selecting therapeutic treatments. 

This was followed by a lively discussion that highlighted both the potential and current limitations of the network approach for clinical psychology and enabled a nationwide networking with experienced network researchers from the DGPs.

We look forward to the ongoing exchange and are grateful for the invitation!