Founder of ground-breaking equine psychotherapy program wins Paul Penna Award.
Agnico Eagle employees have performed many acts of selfless community service in what has been a challenging year – making extraordinary contributions to improve the quality of life for the most vulnerable people in society.
We honour their generous spirit by annually bestowing the Paul Penna Award on the Agnico Eagle employee who best exemplifies the philosophies of our founder for community involvement, dedication and hard work.
This year, Pamela Heimpel Wisbrun from our Pinos Altos mine in Mexico is the recipient of the 13th annual Paul Penna Award for her ground-breaking work in equine psychotherapy, which uses horses in the therapeutic treatment of mental health issues.
Pamela works with the EAGALA program (Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association) and Latifundo Co., which Pamela founded in 2017, to provide advisory services to marginalized individuals and groups including those suffering from addictions, trauma and depression.
The award was presented to Pamela during a virtual ceremony held on October 28th to celebrate the achievements of all regional award recipients. In her honour, Agnico Eagle will donate $10,000 CAD to support the work of SEER, a new non-profit in the area offering client-focused traditional counselling combined with equine-assisted psychotherapy.
Pamela said, “I am very honored. The thought that someone nominated me was overwhelming enough. But when I heard I won I just wanted to cry. I have put a lot of hard work into this project and this recognition just makes me want to work harder.”
EAGALA is an international non-profit dedicated to including horses and equine-assisted training in their psychotherapy program. The program’s intervention model focuses on a team that includes at least one licensed mental health professional, a certified equine specialist and horses, who work together with the client in the arena at all times. With the horses and clients free to interact as they wish, the program supports the development of social and emotional skills. EAGALA is the only organization providing such services that is approved by the American Psychological Association.
“I honestly believe that a community cannot be sustainable if it is not socially healthy,” added Pamela. “There is no better investment than a person’s mental health. There is still a stigma attached to mental illness, but I believe good mental health is equally or more important than a person’s physical health. The type of therapy we offer is innovative because it reduces the stigma of going to therapy and makes it more ‘friendly’. I’m convinced that when we heal together, the world becomes a better place to live.”
Pamela joined Agnico Eagle in 2010 and today works as a statistical process control coordinator at our Pinos Altos mine. She had 10 years of equestrian experience when she joined EAGALA but decided to further her knowledge by taking a Masters course in humanistic psychotherapy. Pamela then became officially certified with EAGALA and two years later, was invited to participate in the association as a state coordinator.
Through Pamela’s selfless actions, the legacy of Paul Penna lives on. She is changing the lives of many people, one person at a time. She is helping to inspire and heal some of the most vulnerable people in her community. Congratulations to Pamela and to all the regional recipients of Agnico Eagle’s Paul Penna Awards.