What do social relationships in school predict about happiness in adult life? What is the normal sequence of child friendships? Why do cliques form? Why are children scapegoated and how can their parents and school protect them?

In addition to answering these questions and many more, Dr. Thompson will draw on research to highlight the differences between friendship and popularity. He makes suggestions about the management of social problems in schools and will make the case that while all children yearn for popularity, it is friendship that helps children survive and thrive.

Michael Thompson, Ph.D. is a consultant, author and psychologist specializing in children and families. He is the supervising psychologist for the Belmont Hill School and has worked in more than five hundred schools across the United States, as well as in international schools in Central America, Europe, Africa and Asia. A dedicated speaker and traveler, he has appeared on The Today Show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, ABC 20/20, CBS 60 Minutes, The Early Show and Good Morning America. 

He is the author and co-author of numerous other books, among them: Raising Cain: Protecting Emotional Lives of Boys; Best Friends/Worst Enemies: Understanding the Social Worlds of Children; The Pressured Child: Helping Your Child Achieve Success in School and in Life and It's a Boy!: Understanding Your Son's Development from Birth to Eighteen. He is presently writing a new book about summer camps and schools trips entitled, Homesick and Happy: How Children Change and Grown When They Are Away from Their Parents.