Matthew J. Jarvinen, PhD
Clinical Psychologist
15 yrs experience
Updated August 20, 2026 How we verify
About
Dr. Matthew Jarvinen is a licensed clinical psychologist and founder of EmotionFit, a group psychotherapy practice in Encinitas, California. He specializes in Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP), integrating a spiritually-informed approach to treat trauma, anxiety, addiction, and relational issues. He holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology from Fuller Theological Seminary and serves on the board of the International Experiential Dynamic Therapy Association (IEDTA) as an IEDTA-certified teacher.
Services
- Trauma and PTSD
- Addiction
- Spirituality
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Trauma/PTSD
- OCD
- Grief
- Chronic pain
- Religious/spiritual trauma
- Relational conflict
- Family conflict
- Self-sabotage
- Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP)
- Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy
- EMDR
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Emotionally Focused Therapy
- Experiential Therapy
- Family/Marital Therapy
- Humanistic
- Psychodynamic
- Relational
- Christian Counseling
State licenses
-
California · License #PSY29459 · Psychologist Active
expires 2027-09-05
Reputation
4.6 / 5 across 8 reviews Positive
- Birdeye Rated 4.6 / 5 8 reviews
What clients praise
- Strong clinical skill at identifying root causes quickly
- Empathic and attuned therapeutic presence
- Facilitates meaningful personal growth and healing
- Frequently recommended by other clinicians and colleagues
Common critiques
- One detailed review states his primary modality (ISTDP) did not adequately resolve traumatic stress/PTSD symptoms over roughly three years of treatment, despite trauma-treatment marketing
Red flags
- A recurring concern in at least one detailed review that ISTDP as practiced did not adequately address PTSD/trauma despite repeated client requests for a different approach
In the field
Sources
The facts on this page are drawn from 15 public sources and independently fact-checked before publication.
Psychology Today directory
- Full name, credentials, practice name, address, specialties, modalities, populations, fees, session formats, years in practice, license number PSY29459 (psychologytoday.com)
state licensing board (CA DCA BreEZe / Board of Psychology)
- License PSY29459 status 'License Renewed & Current', issued 2017-09-05, expires 2027-09-05, no disciplinary actions (search.dca.ca.gov)
NPPES registry
- NPI 1821446576, taxonomy Psychologist Clinical (103TC0700X), enumeration date 2016-06-02, active status, CA license PSB94022444 on file (npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov)
NPI directory listing (organization)
- Group/organizational NPI 1467915280 for Matthew Jarvinen Ph.D., Inc., A Psychological Corporation (EmotionFit) (npinumberlookup.org)
provider website (EmotionFit)
- Bio, education (Fuller Theological Seminary PhD, Point Loma Nazarene, San Diego State), professional affiliations, contact email, session fee $275, profile photo (emotionfit.us)
provider website (EmotionFit homepage)
- Practice services, specialties, staff list of five therapists, address, phone [redacted], email [redacted] (emotionfit.us)
practice website (drjarvinen.com)
- Legacy individual-practice site; same address and consistent bio; lists Facebook/Instagram/LinkedIn links (drjarvinen.com)
professional association listing (IEDTA)
- IEDTA-certified teacher bio: ISTDP training history, supervision under Allan Abbass/Jon Frederickson/Robert Neborsky, founded ISTDP San Diego Community, supervises four therapists, practicing since 2017 (iedta.net)
review aggregator (Birdeye)
- 4.6/5 rating from 8 reviews; positive themes on clinical skill and empathy; one detailed review raising concern about ISTDP's adequacy for PTSD treatment (reviews.birdeye.com)
Healthgrades directory
- Listing confirms clinical psychologist specialty, address, NPI; no reviews posted (healthgrades.com)
WebMD directory
- Listing confirms NPI, address, active CA medical/psychology license status; no reviews posted (doctor.webmd.com)
LinkedIn profile
- Confirms current role at EmotionFit, Encinitas CA location, Fuller Theological Seminary education (linkedin.com)
Instagram profile
- Official social account, ~265 followers (instagram.com)
Facebook page
- Official practice social page (facebook.com)
Amazon Books listing
- Self-published book 'EmotionFit: An Emotional Fitness Program' authored by Dr. Matthew Jarvinen (amazon.com)