DBT Skills Group in NYC & NJ: What You’ll Actually Learn in 16 Weeks (and who it’s for)

If you’ve ever had the experience of knowing what would be healthy…and then doing the opposite in the moment (snapping, spiraling, shutting down, over-explaining, doom-scrolling, dissociating, people-pleasing, rage-texting, ghosting—pick your flavor), you’re not broken. Your tool kit may not have the tools needed for the intensity you’re carrying.

That’s what DBT is for.

DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) includes a structured skills training component that teaches tools across four core modules: Mindfulness, Distress Tolerance, Emotion Regulation, and Interpersonal Effectiveness. 

Boundless is running a virtual 16-week DBT Skills Group starting February 9, 2026, facilitated by Kiara Vaz. The group meets Mondays, 6–7pm, and costs $85 per 60-minute group.

This post is designed to help you decide quickly and confidently: Is this the right next step for me?

First: what a DBT skills group actually is (and isn’t)

A DBT skills group is not just a support group where you vent for an hour and leave feeling temporarily lighter (though support and validation often happen). It’s closer to a structured training space where you:

• learn a skill,

• practice applying it to real situations,

• notice what got in the way,

• and build repetition until it’s usable under stress.

DBT is widely studied and is best-known for helping with emotion dysregulation and self-destructive patterns (especially in BPD populations), with evidence from meta-analytic research supporting its efficacy for key outcomes in that context. 

Separate from the “full DBT package,” skills training itself is also an active area of research, including studies examining the contribution of skills to outcomes. 

Who this DBT therapy group is for

You’re likely a fit if two or more of these are true:

• You feel emotions quickly and intensely, and once you’re activated it’s hard to come down

• You’re “high-functioning,” but privately feel overwhelmed, burnt out, reactive, or emotionally exhausted

• Relationships trigger you: you over-give, over-explain, shut down, get resentful, or blow up

• You replay conversations for hours or days, or you go numb and disconnected afterward

• You want skills you can use in real life, not just insight

• You’re willing to practice between sessions (small, doable practice—this is how DBT works)

This may not be the best fit if:

• you can’t attend consistently for the next 16 weeks, or

• you want a purely open-ended processing group without structure.

What you’ll actually learn (the 4 DBT modules)

DBT skills training is organized around four core modules—this is standard across DBT skills curricula and training descriptions. 

1) Mindfulness: getting control of your attention

Mindfulness in DBT isn’t “be calm.” It’s learning how to notice what’s happening inside you (emotion, urge, body sensations, thoughts) without immediately obeying it.

What this looks like in real life:

• catching the spiral earlier

• noticing the moment you start people-pleasing

• recognizing “I’m activated” before you send the text you’ll regret

• building the ability to pause and choose

2) Distress tolerance: getting through hard moments without making them worse

This module is for the acute moments: panic surges, rage spikes, shame spirals, “I need relief now.”

Distress tolerance skills help you:

• ride out emotion without impulsive coping

• reduce crisis intensity

• stabilize enough to make a wise next choice

If your pattern is “I feel bad → I act fast → I feel worse,” distress tolerance is a game-changer.

Interested in the 16-week DBT Skills Group starting Feb 9, 2026 (Mondays 6–7pm, $85/session)?

The next step is a brief consult to confirm fit and answer logistics.

BOOK A FREE 25-MINUTE CONSULT

3) Emotion regulation: changing the pattern, not just the episode

Emotion regulation helps you understand what drives emotional intensity and how to reduce vulnerability over time—so you’re not constantly “recovering” from your own week.

You’ll learn:

• how emotions build and what keeps them stuck

• how to reduce emotional vulnerability (yes, basics matter)

• how to shift emotion through action, thought patterns, and body cues

This is where people often notice: fewer blow-ups, fewer shutdowns, and more steadiness.

4) Interpersonal effectiveness: boundaries + needs without guilt or chaos

This is the module for:

• asking for what you want without over-explaining

• saying no without spiraling

• handling conflict without collapsing or attacking

• balancing self-respect with connection

Interpersonal effectiveness is a core DBT skills module and one of the most “immediately useful” areas for many people. 

What to expect from this 16-week group at Boundless

You should expect:

• a structured weekly session (Mondays 6–7pm)

• practical skills + real-life application

• supportive accountability

• a clear arc across modules rather than random topics

You should not expect:

• a space where the entire hour is open processing without structure

• a “quick fix” without practice

DBT works best when people show up consistently and actually try the skills in between sessions. That’s how they become available when you need them most.

Enrollment steps

1. Book a consult to confirm fit + review logistics

2. Confirm you can commit to Mondays 6–7pm for the 16-week cycle

3. Enroll + get start details for Feb 9, 2026

DBT Skills Group in NYC & NJ| Starting February 9, 2026

• 16 weeks

• Mondays, 6–7pm

• $85 per 60-minute group

• Facilitated by Kiara Vaz

If you’re ready for tools you can actually use (not just insight), the next step is a brief consult to confirm fit and enroll.

BOOK A FREE 25-MINUTE CONSULT

About the author: Kiara Vaz, LMSW

Kiara Vaz, LMSW | C-DBT, is social worker and certified DBT practitioner. After having run successful DBT cycles, she has a program and module that helps you effect real change in your life with real tools. Kiara also helps adults and couples navigate perfectionism, people-pleasing, and attachment wounds, with a special resonance for third-culture, immigrant, couples and POC populations.