I just thought I'd mention, and maybe it's something you already know, but there is a solid reason that DBT skills are taught in a group. Usually, the DBT instructors are not your individual therapist; they teach the skills and act as coaches when you're struggling with a situation that requires you to use the skills, but they don't engage in long, in-depth clinical conversations about your emotional life. In fact, in group, a well run DBT group won't allow the participants to discuss, examine or analyze difficult situations, other than to look a the situation and how you reacted with DBT skills or if you didn't use your skills, what skills you could have used. Those discussion are not encouraged and participants are told to take them up with their individual therapist. Reason? The DBT group is for examining your behavior, triggers and the skills you need to learn and use on a consistent basis.

You mentioned that you've had unsuccessful experiences with therapy groups before. Believe me, well run DBT groups are very very different. Usually, people who experience emotional dysregulation (whether they have BPD or not), have a hard time in typical groups because they get triggered and feel unheard in the group. A DBT group is very structured and long dissertations by any member about their melt-downs or tantrums or SI is discouraged. The focus is very much on the skills.

It's hard to have an individual therapist "do" the DBT skills book because it's so different from what you're used to doing with your long term therapist. It can be done, but it can be really frustrating when you come in and want to "do traditional therapy because you've had a rough weekend and need to talk about it and it's DBT day and you're suppose to be working on skills. Just a thing to think about.