I don't think you'd get the same experience at all with a workbook. The personal support has been key for me.

My experience with DBT over the past year and a half has probably helped me more than any previous therapy (started over 5 years ago). I actually went through all the modules twice with a weekly group, and my individual T also uses a lot of DBT philosophies in our sessions. I will say that I'm not in the strict, by-the-book DBT therapy (no one in the group was borderline, so a different population than originally designed for). My Ts have tailored it to the group members and to me. Going through it twice allowed me more time to fully process the info and gain additional practice in using the skills. My group T says that yeah, a lot of the stuff can be silly or simple, but if it helps- who cares? And I've found that it helps me tremendously. She also makes a point of saying that it will feel uncomfortable and unnatural for awhile, because the behaviors or negative coping skills we're using are so habitual. Nothing is going to feel the same as what we usually do, but it'll help us act more effectively and will become more natural over time. I don't know that I enjoy it- I'm not in therapy for the giggles, but it has helped me grow so much.