Dream Weaver/Dream Catcher: The Older Child and Analyst at Work

Children in late latency through early adolescence can join in a partnership with their analyst to explore their dreams as important communications about themselves. The child is the bearer of the dream, the analyst the receiver, and their shared attention to something new presenting itself to each of them offers a unique opportunity to seek meaning together. This article provides clinical illustrations of work with the dreams of children in different phases of analysis and during developmental transitions. Technical approaches that invite a child’s interest in dreams are demonstrated.