Center Counseling, founded by Greg Molinaro, was formally launched in June of 2021. While it was solely Molinaro in the early days, Center Counseling’s team has expanded to boast 10 employees in just over 2.5 years. With a mission deeply rooted in fostering strong relationships, marriages, and families, the business has emerged as a fundamental aspect of both mental health support and community engagement in the Bismarck-Mandan community. I had the opportunity to sit down with Molinaro and discuss Center Counseling’s growth, the services that the team offers, what unique qualities Center Counseling brings to the community, and much more.
Roughly eight years ago, Molinaro took the first steps to develop his vision of providing great counseling to the Bismarck-Mandan community, while also promoting a healthy work-life balance between couples.
“I wanted to not only provide counseling but also do a lot of community engagement and empowerment,” Molinaro said. “I tried to get that initiative started at two previous positions, but it’s a bit of a stretch to convince people to set aside three hours a week for staff to focus on community engagement and training other counselors.”
Molinaro earned a business management degree and took classes in social work, but counseling wasn’t as prevalent a career back then. Psychology, psychiatry, and social work were the primary fields offered, which didn’t intrigue Molinaro as much as making a difference through counseling.Â
“Out of college, I was a mobile DJ based out of Grand Forks, ND for 10 years, doing weddings and dances, and making people happy on their special days. Then, I went on to have my own business as a furniture salesman for 15 years,” Molinaro said. “I tried to take advantage of the best opportunities around me. I was also doing volunteer work for different organizations and clubs around Grand Forks during that time. My family and I moved back to Bismarck in 1999 and I began working with youth and adults in different capacities here.”
After returning to Bismarck, Molinaro came across an opportunity for caring at a church, where Molinaro would sit down with people and help them through life changes to help them strengthen marriages, conduct pre-marriage counseling, help people through the grief of recent passings, and more.
“My pivoting point was when I started to really enjoy having 10 of these ‘care sessions’ a week, and I realized that this is what I had been looking for the whole time,” Molinaro said. “I went to my family and asked for their blessing and approval to go back to graduate school at the University of Mary in 2016 and get my degree in counseling. They all said yes, of course, and I earned my degree in 2018.”
This pushed Molinaro to step into his own and launch Center Counseling. Now, Molinaro and his team are assisting community members in becoming mentally healthier and encouraging them to invest in their local community.
“If we support stronger relationships, marriages, and families, I believe that we’ll have a stronger community,” Molinaro said. “Building relationships with so many different people has created a pipeline of opportunities for everyone around us. I love the idea of building up a community and seeing others get interested in what we’re trying to do.”
"We all have periods in life that are more difficult than other times. It is during these times we need to be in the community, reach out to others, and not do life alone. Counseling can be a part of that community, even if it is just for a while. Many people find counseling helps them find the direction they are seeking and they often experience healing from their past hurts."
Did You Know?
The “CENTER” in Center Counseling stands for “Community Empowerment, Nurturing Training, and Enriching Relationships.”
As evidenced by Molinaro, community engagement isn’t a second thought for Center Counseling; it’s integral to the team’s mission. Molinaro and his team dedicate substantial time to building relationships within the Bismarck-Mandan community. From door-knocking to sharing coffees with local police officers, Molinaro aims to learn more about the great things being done in the community, as well as what else can be done.
“Through those conversations, we’ve found that many people want to see more parenting classes in the community,” Molinaro said. “Sarah, a team member of ours, will present specialized parenting training pro bono to our community members called the 40 Developmental Assets. It teaches parents how they can enrich their children and build healthier individuals while connecting them as parent to child. Because of these relationships, we’re getting invitations to other community events to promote and take part in, which is great to see.”
Did You Know?
Center Counseling specializes in both Christian and conventional counseling.
The “West Side Story” room at Center Counseling epitomizes this philosophy. Resembling a library from an early Indiana Jones movie, it offers a welcome space where people are invited to come in, sit down, and relax.
“When they come in, they say that they feel so relaxed because all the rest of the world is left behind them,” Molinaro said. “We don’t have a lot of clinical signage. As soon as you walk in, there’s a beverage station to make coffee, tea, or another beverage. We also have a classroom with plenty of space if you’re waiting for your child and want to get some work done.”
In addition to the relaxing West Side Story room, Center Counseling creates a welcoming and non-clinical environment across the board. According to Molinaro, from the moment that clients walk in, they’re greeted with a comforting atmosphere that feels more like a home living room than a counseling center. This even extends to the personalized decor of each office, designed with the client’s comfort in mind.Â
What is Christian Counseling?
“We believe that we were created in the image of a triune God, that we are multi-faceted and complex human beings, and we are both uniquely designed, yet mysterious. Rather than treating surface symptoms, we work to address the root issue, such as soul wounds and heart issues. This process can only happen in a safe and nurturing environment. We practice counseling from a Christian perspective and believe that healing only comes from Jesus. However, we are sensitive to everyone’s faith journey. We are clinically sound, investing in continuing education and training to provide a variety of reliable therapeutic interventions to our clients.”
– Center Counseling
“Each office is individually decorated to the flavor of the therapist, but they’re also keeping in mind how their clients would like to feel when they come in,” Molinaro said. “It’s very homey with a couch, chairs, lamps, plants, and cool personalized pictures on the wall. Everything about it is meant to be relaxing. We always have growth plans, but no matter what we do or where we are, we’re going to make sure that we keep that feeling in what we do.”
With a unique setup, comes unique approaches to the world of counseling for Molinaro and his team. Center Counseling takes a unique approach to expanding its team. Before anyone comes on board, they undergo a six-month period of getting to know one another and proper training. This process ensures that new therapists are both professionally competent and fully aligned with Center Counseling’s mission and values.
“Before anybody joins our team, we spend about six months with them, going through a long onboarding process,” Molinaro said. “We hope to bring on five new members next year. Additionally, we have about eight more in the pipeline who are currently in graduate school or internships, working their way into the field. We’re looking forward to getting to know them better.”
"I believe that everything revolves around positive relationships. I want to get to know somebody, spend time with them, and support and encourage them to take their next steps to a better and brighter future."
"It's been about a 50-year process to bring conventional and Christian counseling together. Many people have been very deliberate about trying to incorporate a Christian aspect into counseling and healing. We use all of the good data, researchers, theorists, and training of conventional counseling, but we can also work their faith in God in their healing journey. It may involve prayer, meditation, or simply helping them find their identity, which can be a very special kind of healing."
Center Counseling’s Services and Future Goals
Center Counseling prides itself on offering a wide array of services, catering to individuals across various age groups and needs, with its primary focus on mental, emotional, spiritual, and relational health. “About 80% of our clients come to us for Christian counseling, while the other 20% of people are less active in their faith,” Molinaro said. “All of our clients seem to enjoy the counseling journey that we offer here, and find hope and healing through the counseling process. We want them to feel like they’re being welcomed into their second home.”
Currently, Center Counseling offers counseling work for ages nine and older, as they help both adolescents and adults through anxiety, depression, trauma and PTSD, unexpected life changes and challenges, marriages, and more to clients.
Looking ahead, Center Counseling is expanding its impact by deepening community connections and enhancing its range of services. From increasing the number of classes, support groups, and marriage conferences available to the community, to facilitating men’s and women’s retreats, Center Counseling is continuously exploring new ways to fulfill its mission.
“As we add to our staff, the community will see more and more pieces of support and empowerment,” Molinaro said. “We want to have experts in our area go into churches, schools, and other organizations to train leaders to do those same things. When we teach a class, we want to train somebody to be able to reteach that class forward in their own organization. We try to duplicate ourselves that way. In the case that there’s nobody left to fill that gap, we’ll even step in as interim leaders and teachers if needed, which is part of our passion as well.”
Promoting A Positive Culture
With a schedule designed to promote work-life balance among its staff, Molinaro promotes an environment of support for the Center Counseling team. “We have a wonderful team here; each one of them truly cares about their clients and is very careful in how they approach their work,” Molinaro said.
“One of the ways we stay close as a staff is every Monday morning, we start with what we call our ‘attunement time.’ We come together for the first hour of every Monday morning, talk about our weekend and how we’re coming into the week, and get on the same page with one another. Then, we all go into our own sessions and routines for the week with our heads on straight.”
On Wednesday mornings, the team comes together again to see if any employees need help with a particular client or a fresh idea to propel them into the rest of their work week. Then, they end Thursday with what they call their “end-of-week celebration,” by going out for appetizers and talking about how their week went.
“Everybody has to have their notes done by the end of Thursday so that they’re going into the weekend completely engaged with their family, friends, and social life,” Molinaro said. “That’s the culture that we’ve built here, and I’m proud to have such a great team on my side.”
What has Center Counseling’s growth meant to you?
“I’ve traveled to many places around the world, including mission trips in Mexico, and I’ve found that there are places around all of us that can, and need to, be helped. I think that being a part of a community and investing your life in people is one of the most special privileges there is to have.
We’re determined to be part of this community, learn from others’ knowledge and wisdom, and share that wisdom with the rest of the world. We aim to encourage people that they can do just a little bit more, whether it be voting for their representative or donating to a charity. When it comes to our community, it’s an opportunity to invest in a multi-generational benefit of loving people who value each other and empower others to do the same.
We may not be able to save the world, but we can do significant, beneficial things in our community together to help create a stronger place for us to live.”
Coming Soon!
Center Counseling is aiming to launch its very own podcast soon. Follow them on social media to stay tuned for the latest updates!
From the organization’s founding by Greg Molinaro to its current status, Center Counseling stands as a shining example of what can be achieved with the right amount of purpose and determination in Bismarck-Mandan. Through its continued efforts to strengthen community ties, promote mental health, and empower individuals and families, Center Counseling is helping shape the future of our local community.
"At Center Counseling, each of us is very purposeful about creating a culture of warmth and a sense of welcome, and that's the feedback that we get from our clients. When somebody walks in for the first time, we'll make sure that they feel settled in and comfortable. Many of the people coming in for counseling are in some form of crisis, so we're very careful to meet them where they're at to help them feel welcome. We'll stick with them as long as they need and do counseling in a way that feels comfortable to them."
centercounseling.org
(701) 380-5100
[email protected]
Facebook | /Center.Counseling.Community
Instagram | @CenterCounselingBismarck
418 E Broadway Ave, Ste 7 Bismarck, ND 58501