Before you start
This guide is for someone in Bismarck or elsewhere in Burleigh County who has been told to finish an anger management program, whether by a judge, a probation officer or a family case. It moves in the order most people actually face things. It is general information, not guidance on your case: your attorney, the clerk and your probation officer are the ones to ask about your specific order.
Step 1: Get a copy of the exact order
Find the paper that created the requirement. For most local cases that is a judgment or order from the Burleigh County court at 514 E. Thayer Ave., which the court system lists as part of the South Central Judicial District. If you can't find your copy, the clerk's office there can help during regular courthouse hours, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on the court's page.
Highlight three things: how many hours or sessions are required, the date proof is due, and who must receive it.
Step 2: Identify who is watching the deadline
If you are on supervised probation, the North Dakota DOCR's Parole and Probation Services is responsible for that supervision, and its Bismarck office is at 1833 E Bismarck Expressway, Suite 1. Your officer there is usually the person who tracks the class. If you are not on probation, the court itself may be the only one checking, which makes it even more important to file proof on time.
Write the name and phone number of that person at the top of your order.
Step 3: Sort out civil questions separately
If the requirement came from a civil case, such as a protection order or a family matter, the state's Legal Self Help Center has resources for people representing themselves in civil cases, including protection and restraining orders. It cannot help with criminal cases. Keep the two tracks separate in your notes so that you send the right paperwork to the right office.
Step 4: Ask what kinds of programs are acceptable
Call or email your officer, or the clerk if no officer is involved, and ask what a suitable program looks like for your order. Ask whether it must be in person, whether a live online group is allowed, and whether there is a minimum number of hours. Only the court or your probation officer decides whether a program fits; a provider's description of itself does not settle the question.
Step 5: Build a short list of Bismarck-area providers
Use the directory to find a few independent providers in Bismarck, Mandan or online. For each one, ask about session length, total sessions, group size, start dates and cost. Ask how they document attendance and what their completion letter includes. Note which providers can start soon enough to finish before your due date, with a cushion for illness, a storm closure or a work trip out of town.
Step 6: Get the program accepted in writing
Send your chosen program's details to your officer or the court and wait for a reply before you pay. An email that says yes is worth keeping. If the answer is no, ask what was missing and go back to your list.
Step 7: Plan every session on the calendar
Put every session date in your phone with a reminder the day before. Plan the drive, which in Bismarck can mean crossing the Missouri to Mandan or heading to the north end of town; drive times here are approximate and stretch in winter. Line up a backup ride and, if online sessions are allowed, a quiet place with a steady connection.
Step 8: Keep your own attendance record
After each session, write down the date, the time and anything the provider gave you. If you miss one, tell the provider and your officer the same day and ask how to make it up. A clean paper trail makes the final step simple.
Step 9: File proof and confirm it landed
When you finish, ask the provider for the completion letter right away. Deliver it the way your order says, whether that means the courthouse on Thayer Avenue, your officer on the Expressway, or both. Keep a copy. A week later, call to confirm it reached your file. If anything is missing, you will still have time to fix it before your deadline.