How to Get Your Teen to Open Up: The Power of Holding Space with Emily Ricks

Want your teenager to talk to you without every conversation turning into advice, arguments, or shutdowns?

Parenting coach Emily Ricks explains how “holding space” can help parents build trust, improve communication, and stay connected with their teens even during conflict.

In this episode of Family Dialogues, Dr. Taniesha Burke speaks with certified life and parenting coach Emily Ricks, host of the Parenting Teens podcast, about one of the most powerful skills parents can use when raising teenagers: holding space.

Instead of immediately fixing the problem, dismissing a teen’s feelings, or agreeing with everything they say, Emily encourages parents to pause, listen with curiosity, and create room for teenagers to explore what they think, feel, and want to do.

You'll learn:

What it really means to hold space for your teenager
Why fixing, rescuing, or dismissing can shut down parent-teen communication
Simple phrases such as “Tell me more” that encourage teens to keep talking
How to validate emotions without automatically agreeing with your teen’s interpretation
Why parents need to regulate their own emotions before difficult conversations
How vulnerability, apologies, and repair can rebuild trust with your teenager
What to do when your teen gives one-word answers or doesn't want to talk
How to offer advice without taking over your teenager’s decision-making
When holding space is appropriate and when parents need to set clear boundaries around risky behavior
Why trusting the “long game” matters when your teenager seems distant or resistant

Emily also reminds parents that mistakes do not have to define the relationship. Parents can acknowledge when they reacted poorly, apologize, and create a new opportunity for connection. Sometimes, rebuilding trust begins with simply saying, “I’m ready to listen.”

And when your teenager seems to be pulling away? Emily encourages parents to zoom out. Raising children is a long-term relationship, and seasons of distance do not mean the relationship is lost.