Dr Jacqueline Dukino
Dr Jacqueline Dukino joins us from sunny Brisbane where she would sometimes see a koala sitting in a eucalytpus tree. Dr Jacqueline loves long distance hiking and running, rogaining (feel free to ask her about this – she says she can talk about it for hours) and has been trying to improve her mountain biking and kayaking skills. Dr Jacqueline is a mum to four teenagers and has lived as an expat in China and Singapore.
Dr Jacqueline’s clinical experience includes managing long term mental health issues, gender diversity issues and complex family dynamics. Dr Jacqueline will be practicing at our Camden clinic.
You have lived in China, Singapore and Australia, what are your three top tips for relocating countries?
- It takes about a year to get everyone settled into school, the new house, the new environment so be gentle on yourself if you think things are not progressing smoothly.
- It takes at least 6 months to find a place for all those “special items” in your new house and roughly the same amount of time to find where someone else in the family actually put those items!
- Making friends takes time and effort. Try to get involved in sports, hobbies or social groups that you enjoy as you are more likely to make friends with people who have common interests.
What is the most rewarding part of your job?
The most rewarding part of my job is having an ongoing therapeutic relationship with patients. In particular with patients who have mental health issues, it is rewarding to be able to be involved in their progress and seeing them achieve management goals.
You do a lot of work with patients with mental health. How have you seen the mental health field change over the years?
There have been a number of changes in medications and psychological therapies. But I think that the major changes have been in the de-stigmatisation of mental illness over the past few years and the acknowledgement across healthcare, education and political spheres of the importance of mental health in terms of the effect on individuals, families and communities..
What do you do with your time off?
I love hiking and running, especially long-distance. I am also enjoying tackling my fears on mountain bike trails and doing some long distance cycles.
You are the mum to four teenagers, any advice you can give for navigating the teen years?
I am definitely still learning skills for navigating the teen years! I think it is important to try and be interested in what your children are doing, try to understand the rules of volleyball/cricket/football so you can discuss the game with them. Listen to some of the music that they like, you will be pleasantly surprised as it is not all awful and try to have fun and a laugh with them.
One thing that is really valuable is having one-on one discussions with each child. This can be difficult, particularly with teenage boys who seem to enter a grunting only stage, but they tend to open up on car trips or if you sit on their bed late at night and let them know that you are keen to listen to them.
Everyone likes to feel that they are special and valued and this certainly applies to teenagers.
What is on your bucket list?
This is a difficult list to compile. Where do I stop? The short version is:
- Hike the Tour du Mont Blanc
- Hike The Pacific Crest Trail
- Hike the Haute Route
- Hike around the Aosta Valley
- Climb Mt Kinabalu
- Climb Mt Kilamanjaro
- Bikepack through the Dolomites
- Bikepack through Croatia
- Run UTMB
- Complete a virtual Everesting on a bike trainer and ideally doing a hiking/running Everesting (maybe not in Singapore though!)
You’ve lived in Singapore before, has it changed since you last lived here?
There are a lot more MRT lines and stations since we were last here. There are also more park connectors and I am excited about the recent opening of more sections of the Green Corridor.
Any parts of Singapore you want to explore?
I think I have managed to explore a lot of the hidden nooks and crannies in Singapore already. I am enjoying doing long hikes across the island. I have lead a North-South hike and a West-East Hike. I have done a run around the island and am about to cycle around the island.
I am always up for suggestions of new and interesting places to explore though and I am particularly interested in places of historical significance.
Dr Jacqueline will be at our Camden clinic. Click here to make an appointment.
