Your child is leaving for university. You don’t have to go through it alone.
Journaling the Empty Nest is a 3-month online programme for parents preparing for life after drop-off, with live guided sessions and weekly journaling prompts to help you manage the emotions, be there for your child, and start shaping your own next chapter.
Try the first live session risk-free — if it’s not for you, email within 24 hours for a full refund.
★★★★★
“I wasn't sure how journaling could help but now I'm glad I started.”
*Feedback from previous Journaling Matters workshop participants
The programme is designed by
JoJo Phillips - writer, journaling facilitator, and founder of Journaling Matters CIC.
Small Live Group
This cohort is limited to 20 people to ensure the sessions feel personal, welcoming and supportive.
Secure your place now.
September is a big change for them — and for you.
Every September, thousands of young people leave home for the first time to start university. It’s exciting, full of possibility, and the beginning of a new chapter. But it’s also a leap into the unknown.
So much attention is on getting them ready. This is your change too.
With so much focus on packing, shopping, results, forms, accommodation and goodbyes, it’s easy to forget that you are going through a major life change too.
You can feel proud and excited for them — and still feel lost.
You might be wondering how often to message, how to let go without pulling away, and what your own life is supposed to look like now.
Journaling the Empty Nest gives you time each week to process what’s changing.
A gentle online programme to help you pause, write, reflect and feel less alone before, during and after drop-off.
What this programme helps you do
Manage your emotions before, during and after your child leaves
Make space for the pride, sadness, worry, guilt, relief and uncertainty that can come up as your child prepares to leave, without pretending you’re fine or getting stuck in the fear.
Be there for your child without losing yourself
Explore how to stay connected, communicate well and support their independence, while also noticing your own needs and giving yourself permission to matter too.
_edited.png)
Start shaping your own next chapter
Begin thinking about your routines, identity, interests and sense of purpose, so the empty nest becomes more than just an ending.
You don’t need to arrive with the perfect words, a beautiful notebook, or a clear idea of what you’re feeling. This programme is designed to make journaling feel simple, private and manageable - especially at a time when your thoughts may feel all over the place.
If you don’t know what to write
You’ll be given gentle prompts in every session, so you’re never staring at a blank page wondering where to begin.
If you don’t feel “good at writing”
Your journal is for you. Spelling, handwriting, grammar and style do not matter here. Honest notes, messy thoughts and half-sentences all count.
If you don’t want to share everything
You only share what feels comfortable. You can take part quietly, listen, write privately, or join the conversation when you want to.
If you’re worried it might feel too emotional
The sessions are guided gently, with space to pause, breathe and come back to yourself. You can go at your own pace.
Worried journaling isn’t really “you”?
How the programme works — four simple steps
Join before the big change happens
1
Join before the big change begins
Sign up online and receive a welcome email with everything you need before the first live session.
Come to the live guided sessions
2
We’ll meet online across August, September, October and early November, with time to pause, write, reflect and talk through the changes as they happen.
Use the weekly prompts between sessions
3
Each week, you’ll receive simple journaling prompts to help you process what you’re feeling, think about your relationship with your child, and begin making space for yourself.
Keep supported through the first returns home
4
The programme includes Christmas and Easter reunion sessions, so you have support around the times when your child may come home and family life can feel different again.
Created by someone who understands the power of journaling
Journaling the Empty Nest is led by JoJo Phillips, writer, journaling facilitator and founder of Journaling Matters CIC.
JoJo has spent years using writing and journaling as a way to help people pause, reflect and make sense of life’s difficult transitions. Through Journaling Matters CIC, she creates positive, supportive spaces where people can explore what they’re feeling without pressure to perform or have everything figured out.
This programme also comes from real life. JoJo is entering her own empty nest chapter in 2026, so the course has been created with both professional experience and personal understanding.
★★★★★
“Now I journal every morning instead of doom-scrolling my phone.”
Kerry M, participant in a previous Journaling Matters online course.
Programme dates
Journaling the Empty Nest runs online from Sunday 16 August to Sunday 15 November 2026, with additional reunion sessions at Christmas and Easter.
Live sessions
Session 1: Sunday 16 August 2026
Welcome, onboarding and first guided journaling session
Session 2: Sunday 30 August 2026
Session 3: Sunday 13 September 2026
Session 4: Sunday 27 September 2026
Session 5: Sunday 11 October 2026
Session 6: Sunday 25 October 2026
Session 7: Sunday 8 November 2026
Session 8: Sunday 15 November 2026
Your Next Chapter Plan — a final session to reflect on how far you’ve come, celebrate what has shifted, and leave with a positive plan for the months ahead.
Reunion sessions
Christmas reunion: mid December 2026
Easter reunion: around Sunday 21 March 2027
All sessions take place online.
Full joining details will be sent after you sign up. Live sessions are on Sunday evenings, 7.30–8.45pm UK time.
Who is this programme for?
This programme is designed especially for parents whose child is leaving for university this year, but it may also be helpful if your child is leaving home for another reason and you are facing an empty nest.
Do I need to have journaled before?
No. You’ll be given prompts and gentle guidance in each session. You don’t need experience, perfect words or a special notebook.
Do I have to share what I write?
Absolutely not. Your journal is private. You can share reflections if you want to, but there is no pressure to read anything out or talk more than feels comfortable.
What happens if I miss a session?
You’ll receive session slides and a transcript - there are no recordings of sessions to protect confidentiality. Plus, you'll still receive the weekly prompts and workbook materials, so you can keep going between sessions. The programme is designed to support you across the whole transition, not rely on one single session.
Is this therapy?
No. This is a guided journaling and peer-support programme, not therapy or counselling. It gives you space to reflect, write and connect with others going through a similar life change.
What happens after I sign up?
You’ll receive a welcome email before the first session with the online joining details, what to bring, and how to access the workbook and group space.
What is the refund policy?
You can try the first live session risk-free. If it’s not for you, email within 24 hours of that first session (using the same email you signed up with) and you’ll receive a full refund.
Questions you might have
Don’t wait until the house feels empty to look after yourself!
Your child is preparing for one of the biggest changes of their life.
So are you.
Join Journaling the Empty Nest and give yourself practical, guided support through the first term, with live sessions, weekly prompts, a workbook and a small group of parents who understand.
-
Starts Sunday 16 August 2026
-
Limited to 20 places
Try the first live session risk-free — email within 24 hours for a full refund if it’s not for you.
Questions before joining?
Email info@journalingmatters.com
Journaling the Empty Nest is delivered by Journaling Matters CIC.
Company number 16092779