Art therapy for teens and veterans coming to Coral Springs. Here are the details
Need an outlet for difficult emotions, but not sure where to start? Teens and military veterans will soon be able to access a new resource at the Coral Springs Museum of Art for less than a cup of coffee.
Beginning Friday, Dec. 5, the Coral Springs Museum of Art will begin offering small-group art therapy, centering “solace, stress relief and community through creativity,” a museum spokesperson told the Coral Springs News.
Sessions will be led by Alicia Ballestas, a Board Certification Registered Art Therapist with the American Art Therapy Association who grew up in South Florida.
“While a mental health therapist will use words with a patient to express thoughts and emotions, here we are using the process of making art,” Ballestas said. “Sometimes a patient does know how they are feeling; the words just don’t come, but art can really be that pathway for someone.”
Sessions usually start with an emotional check-in, followed by creative activities such as drawing, painting and mask-making, as well as meditation and breathing exercises.
Ballestas has worked with the art museum before, having offered a meditative doodling workshop earlier this year.
Ballestas has previously worked with Arc Broward, Miami-Dade public schools, Els for Autism and the New York-based Coalition for Hispanic Family Services. She also provided services for Coral Springs and Parkland families after the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and the 2021 Surfside condominium collapse.
Sessions for veterans are free and scheduled for Dec. 5, Dec. 19, Jan. 2, Jan. 16, Feb. 6, Feb. 20, March 6 and March 20, all from 10 to 11:30 a.m.
Sessions for teens cost $5 each and are scheduled for Dec. 19, Jan. 16, Feb. 20 and March 20, all from 3:30 to 5 p.m.
Learn more and register to attend through the Coral Springs Museum of Art ticketing website here.
This story was originally published December 3, 2025 at 1:40 PM.
