Michael Thompson, Ph.D

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. 

He and his co-author, Dan Kindlon, wrote the New York Times best-selling book, Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys (Ballantine Books, 1999). Thompson has written many other books on raising children. About his book Best Friends/Worst Enemies the Publishers Weekly review declared, “Not since Dr. Spock and Penelope Leach has there been such a sensitive and practical guide to raising healthy children.” He is presently writing a new book about summer camps and schools trips entitled, Homesick and Happy: How Children Change and Grow When They Are Away from Their Parents.

A dedicated speaker and traveler, Michael Thompson has appeared on The Today Show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, ABC 20/20, CBS 60 Minutes, The Early Show and Good Morning America. He has been quoted in numerous national publications and has been a guest on NPR’s “Morning Edition,” “Talk of the Nation,” and the Diane Rhem Show. He wrote, narrated and hosted a two-hour PBS documentary
entitled “Raising Cain” that was broadcast nationally in 2006.

Dr. Thompson serves on the board of the American Camping Association and is on the Advisory Board of Parent Magazine.

Homesick and Happy How Children Grow and Change When They Are Away from
Their Parents

In the US today, we have a generation of adults who are dedicated to doing a great job of parenting. They want to produce healthy, happy children who are athletically skilled, socially accepted and academically successful. There is nothing wrong with these parental ambitions. However, there is an assumption that this kind of embedded parenting always adds psychological value. Yet, there are actually many times when parental absence is the magic ingredient for a child and especially for a teenager.

In this talk, Dr. Thompson will explain how the greatest maturation in childhood occurs when children are away from their parents. It will describe the experiences, excitement, fears and growth of situations away from home, especially in summer camps, that bring him to his conclusion.

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