Chris Brown to receive 1 yr of dv counseling with probation

R & B celebrity Chris Brown has been sentenced to 5 years probation for his grammy night assault on Rihanna; performing manual labor as community service, Brown will also participate for one year in a counseling/treatment program to assist him in breaking the cycle of violence he witnessed as a youth. Children and teens who witness family violence that is not comprehensively addressed often mature to adults who victimize or are victimized. Across the country, shelter programs recognize and seek to intervene with specialized counseling services and programs. Children as young as 3 years of age participate in art programs and a wide variety of therapeutic treatments to assist them in developing healthy values and behaviors.

Onlookers often consider families in shelter in dire straights. They are in fact, on their way up. Provided with support systems, relationship counseling, value mapping and behavior modifications, they address family issues proactively. Children benefit from the improved stability and are far less likely to repeat the cycle of abuse. More dangerous to our communities, are the families who quietly accept the violence considering what happens behind closed doors to be private. Children in these homes are conditioned to keep the silence and are highly predisposed to repeat the cycle. Remember, SILENCE HIDES THE VIOLENCE. Call the National Domestic Violence hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE for advice on how to best support a child or family in need. We will never know if proper counseling in childhood may have broken the cycle of violence sooner in Chris Brown's family. Under media spotlight, may he be encouraged to embrace the counseling and services to effectively and permanently change his behaviors. We're pulling for you, Chris, and for improved safety in our homes and communities.