The symposium “Paradigm change or pretty pictures: A critical reflection on the network approach to the theory and practice of psychotherapy” at the German Psychotherapy Congress (DPK) 2026 took a close look at network theory. A researcher from the LOEWE Center DYNAMIC was also in attendance. The event focused on the innovative potential of network theory for psychological and psychiatric research, but also explicitly addressed the methodological and theoretical limitations of these approaches. Levente Kriston set the tone for the audience right at the start, before the individual presentations began.

The presentations ranged from theoretical considerations to concrete clinical applications. Karoline Huth began with Bayesian reanalyses of cross-sectional networks to critically examine the robustness and statistical evidence of previously published analyses, which often still have room for improvement. Hans Huth focused on practical applications and systematically examined the actual benefits of the network approach in treatment planning and implementation. A presentation by Lea Schumacher explored the question of what genuine informational value symptom networks provide, even when compared to other models—for example, in predicting long-term therapeutic effects in chronic depression. Felicitas Kinninger, in turn, used a study on chronic pain as an example to demonstrate how crucial theory-guided variable selection is for understanding processes within an individual in clinical psychology. Finally, DYNAMIC member Max Berg addressed the question of how clinicians can evaluate the practical implementation of the network approach for research and practice in meaningful benchmark studies.

The symposium generated a great amount of interest and sparked extensive discussions, even among the presenters themselves. We are very pleased to have fostered a lively exchange at the DPK with nationally and internationally renowned researchers. It is also particularly gratifying that Levente Kriston and Lea Schumacher have created a genuine forum for exchange between methodologists and clinical psychologists that promotes transdisciplinary thinking in psychology and psychiatry. Ultimately, the session helped participants take a more critical look at network theory and practice without losing sight of its potential.

The abstract of the symposium can be read here.

In addition, DYNAMIC researchers presented their latest findings in network and psychotherapy research through lectures and posters:

- Hanna Fiehn: “Development and Validation of a Questionnaire on Decision-Making Styles in Evidence-Based Psychotherapy”

- Viktoria Kohl: “Efficacy of Process-Based Therapy: A Randomized Controlled Trial for Treatment-Resistant Depression and Anxiety Disorders”

- Simon Müller: “The Use of Think-Aloud Protocols to Capture Therapeutic Decision-Making Processes”

- Kilian Stenzel: “The Perceived Validity and Usefulness of Subjective, Data-Driven, and Integrated (PREMISE) Network Models”

- Ada-Filine Zeh: “The Transdiagnostic Role of Reward Sensitivity and Stress in Psychopathology—A Panel Network Analysis.”