How to use this guide
This guide walks through choosing an anger management class in Billings in the order most people actually face it: sort out who is asking, find out what they want, compare a few providers, then keep records until you finish. If nobody ordered you to take a class, skip to Step 4.
Step 1: Work out which office has your case
Pull out any paperwork you were given and look for a court name and case number. In Yellowstone County that is usually one of three places.
- District Court for the 13th Judicial District, whose clerk takes calls on civil, criminal and probate matters for the county.
- Justice Court, whose criminal division hears misdemeanors, traffic and fish and game cases, juvenile alcohol cases and preliminary hearings, and whose civil division includes protection orders.
- Billings Municipal Court, which the county clerk's page names, along with Justice Court, as the place to go for a protection order when there is no pending family or felony case in District Court.
If you are on supervision instead, your contact is the Department of Corrections Probation and Parole office in Billings, listed at 2615 4th Avenue South.
Step 2: Ask what the court or officer expects
Call the clerk for your court, or ask your probation officer at your next meeting. Useful questions:
1. Is a minimum number of hours or sessions required? 2. Is there a deadline, and what counts as finished? 3. Does in-person attendance matter, or is a video class acceptable? 4. Should proof go to you, to the clerk or straight to the officer?
Write the answers down with the date and the name of the person who gave them. Only the court or your probation officer decides whether a given class fits your order. Treat any provider's description of its class as information, not as a ruling.
Step 3: Note your own limits
Before you start calling, list the things that will make or break attendance: your work shift, child care, whether you have a car, and how far you can travel in winter. A class you can reach every single week is worth more than one that looks good on paper but sits across town at a time you work.
Step 4: Build a short list
Use the listings on this page to pick two or three providers. Look at format first (group, one-to-one or video), then location and schedule. If you are taking a class for your own reasons, think about what you want from it: a group where you hear from others, or private sessions where you can talk about a specific situation at home or at work.
Step 5: Interview each provider
A short phone call tells you a lot. Ask:
- How long does the class run, and how often does it meet?
- Who leads it, and what is that person's background? Then check what you can yourself.
- How is attendance tracked, and what document do you receive at the end?
- What happens if you miss a session?
- What is the full cost, including materials and any completion letter?
Notice whether the provider answers plainly. Be cautious with anyone who claims to know how your judge or officer will view a class, or how your case will end. No provider can promise that.
Step 6: Take your choice back to the decision-maker
If a court or officer is involved, tell them which provider and format you picked before you pay. A quick call to the clerk or a mention at your next probation check-in can save you from repeating a class that did not count.
Step 7: Keep a paper trail
Start a folder. Put in it your court paperwork, the notes from Step 2, every receipt, and an attendance slip or email for each session. Make copies before you hand anything over. If you change addresses or phone numbers while the class is running, tell both the provider and the court or officer.
Step 8: Finish and file proof
At the last session, ask for the completion document and read it before you leave: your name, dates, hours and the provider's contact details should all be correct. Deliver it the way you were told in Step 2, and keep a copy for yourself. If you are taking the class voluntarily, the folder is still worth keeping; some people return to their notes months later when a familiar situation comes up again.