Dreams and their symbol-making are often thought to capture something about collage as a form of art. But do they explain, or do they supply, the artistic form of collage or, is it the other way around? Do collages open up a window on the mind’s work of symbolisation more generally? The discussion brings together what Wollheim says about iconic image-making and the expression of emotion in art, and emotional growth through symbolisation in therapeutic work with a four-year-old girl.