I almost finished with my first round of group DBT, 6 months. It's nothing to be afraid of! It may be different if you see a DBT individual T too, but my group is more like a class than therapy. I feel close to the other members but we don't interact much; we're supposed to interact mainly with the T who is the group leader. People have started and stopped for various reasons, but a few of us have been in it together.

We have homework from the manual, and we have to check-in with a triggering situation each week, that we write on our diary card. Sometimes we have a group discussion about the homework, and DBT T writes on the board, just like school.

We start and end with some kind of mindfulness meditation. I don't know if all groups do that. We meet for 2 hours a week with a 10 minute break at some point. I don't feel stressed in the group; it's structured but informal, and the DBT leader is professional but easy-going.

She is available for coaching but it's not manditory. I think I called her once or twice but she wasn't able to call me back. She apologized. For me, she's not like my "real" T but if I have a problem with DBT skills, I know she'd help me.

Good luck!