Yes. Lyte Psychiatry sees Denton patients by secure video from anywhere in the city, or in person at our clinic in Pantego, about 45 miles south of Denton down I-35W. Most new patients are seen within 1–2 business days. Most insured patients pay a $0–$30 copay per visit. A self-pay psychiatric evaluation is $250.
Who is this Denton page for?
You are probably one of two people. The first is a student at the University of North Texas or Texas Woman's University. UNT has more than 40,000 students, and the counseling center at each school runs on a short-term model. You used your sessions, the semester is still going, and you were told to find someone off campus. If the first off-campus psychiatrist you call quotes a wait, that wait lines up badly with midterms.
The second is a parent booking for that student, often from another city. You want a real evaluation, a prescriber who will answer, and a plan that keeps working when your kid comes home for the summer.
There are also Denton ISD teachers on TRS-ActiveCare, nurses at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Denton and Medical City Denton who work nights and do not want to spend a day off driving to an appointment, and people on the line at the Peterbilt plant. Denton County MHMR Center is the public mental health authority for the county, and it is built for people in crisis or without insurance. If you have a BCBS TX card from your parent's plan or a UNT paycheck, you are usually not its priority population.
What can Lyte treat for Denton patients?
Psychiatry comes first. Dr. Akintola and Toyin Awe, PMHNP-BC, do full psychiatric evaluations and manage medication for adults, teens, and children. The common Denton cases are anxiety, depression, panic, ADHD, insomnia, and the burnout that shows up in the last four weeks of a semester. We also treat OCD, PTSD, bipolar disorder, postpartum depression, and grief.
Therapy is the second piece. Our licensed professional counselors do CBT, solution-focused work, and trauma-focused therapy by video. If you see a prescriber and a therapist with us, they share one chart, so nobody has to repeat the story twice.
Combined care is the version most students end up with: an evaluation with a prescriber, then therapy and medication follow-ups on a schedule you set with your providers.
Denton patients can do every visit by video with the same provider each time, or drive about 45 miles south on I-35W to our Pantego clinic (2900 W Park Row Dr, Suite 111) for any visit. You can mix. Some Denton patients do the first visit in person and the rest by video.
If you are starting a stimulant for ADHD, our policy is that the first evaluation happens in person at our Pantego clinic; follow-ups can be by video. Non-stimulant ADHD medication and everything else can start by video. For a UNT student without a car, that one drive is the main hurdle, and the FAQ below covers how people handle it.
Learn how therapy and psychiatry work together when both are part of your care plan.
What the numbers say about Denton
Denton's rates of depression and mental distress run above the Texas average and above the national figures. The CDC PLACES project, using 2023 BRFSS data, estimates that 23.9% of Denton adults have been told by a doctor they have depression, against 19.7% for Texas and 21.8% for the U.S. Frequent mental distress, meaning 14 or more bad mental health days in the past month, sits at 19.4% in Denton against 16.1% statewide.
The same 2023 release puts Denton's adult population at 112,409. That number does not fully count the more than 40,000 UNT students, many of whom keep a home address elsewhere. A college town skews young, and young adults report more frequent mental distress than older adults in the CDC's BRFSS data, which is part of why Denton's figures run high.
| Measure | Denton | Texas | U.S. | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adults diagnosed with depression | 23.9% | 19.7% | 21.8% | CDC PLACES / BRFSS, 2023 |
| Frequent mental distress | 19.4% | 16.1% | 15.4% | CDC PLACES / BRFSS, 2023 |
| Adult population | 112,409 | CDC PLACES, 2023 release |
The depression and frequent mental distress figures are model-based estimates. Read the CDC PLACES methodology for the survey years, population basis, and estimation limits.
How much does a psychiatrist cost in Denton with insurance?
We are in network with BlueCross BlueShield of Texas, UnitedHealthcare and Optum, Cigna and Evernorth, Aetna, Humana, Ambetter, Medicare, Tricare, and more (see the full list). We verify your benefits before the first visit, so you know the number before you sit down. Most insured patients pay a $0–$30 copay per visit.
Without insurance, the prices are flat and posted. HSA and FSA cards are accepted.
| Visit | Self-pay |
|---|---|
| Psychiatric evaluation (new patient) | $250 |
| Medication follow-up | $150 |
| Therapy, first session | $150 |
| Therapy, follow-up | $125 |
| QbCheck ADHD test | $150 |
| Late cancellation / no-show | $100 |
In Denton, the plan we see most often on a student's card is a parent's PPO from BCBS TX, UnitedHealthcare, or Aetna, and all three are in network. Denton ISD staff are on TRS-ActiveCare, which BCBS TX administers, so those cards work here too. If you work at Texas Health Denton or Medical City Denton, send us a photo of your card and we will tell you the copay before you book. If you are a student on a plan we do not take, the $250 evaluation and $150 follow-ups are the whole price, with no out-of-network claim to file.
Who will you see at Lyte?
Dr. Akinwande Akintola, MD, is our medical director and supervisory psychiatrist. He is board-certified in Adult Psychiatry and in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, trained at Johns Hopkins and stayed on faculty there before moving to Texas in 2012. Toyin Awe, PMHNP-BC, is a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner with more than 12 years of experience. Therapy is with NaTascha Jones, LPC, or Prishina Jimenez, LPC. You keep the same provider at every visit.
Your questions, answered
Frequently asked questions from Denton patients
Is there a psychiatrist taking new patients in Denton right now?
Yes. We take new Denton patients every week, by video from anywhere in Denton County or in person at our Pantego clinic about 45 miles south. Most new patients are seen within 1–2 business days of booking at book.lytepsych.com. If you are a UNT or TWU student who was referred off campus, you do not need a referral letter to book.
Where is the nearest Lyte office to Denton, and how far is the drive?
Our only office is at 2900 W Park Row Dr, Suite 111, in Pantego, which is a small town inside Arlington. From central Denton it is about 45 miles: I-35E or I-35W south, then east toward Arlington on I-30 or I-20, and follow signs for Park Row Dr. Plan on about an hour without traffic. Most Denton patients do not make that drive more than once, because every follow-up can be by video.
How fast can I get in if I am a UNT student and finals are in three weeks?
Book today and you will usually have a video evaluation within 1–2 business days. That leaves time for a follow-up before finals if the first dose needs adjusting. If you need a letter for the UNT Office of Disability Access or a professor, we write clinical letters on request after the evaluation.
What does a psychiatrist cost in Denton with and without insurance?
With an in-network plan, most patients pay $0–$30 per visit. Parent PPOs from BCBS TX, UnitedHealthcare, and Aetna are the most common cards we see from Denton students, and Denton ISD's TRS-ActiveCare is BCBS TX as well. Without insurance, a new-patient psychiatric evaluation is $250, follow-ups are $150, and therapy is $150 for the first session and $125 after. HSA and FSA cards work.
My counseling center at UNT or TWU said I need to go off campus. Now what?
Book with us and tell us which school you are at. UNT's Counseling and Testing Services and TWU's Counseling and Psychological Services both run short-term models, so being referred out is normal and is not a sign your case is serious. We can be your prescriber, your therapist, or both, and if the counseling center sends records we add them to your chart. If you were seeing a prescriber at the UNT Student Health and Wellness Center, ask them to send a medication list so we do not restart from zero.
I want to start ADHD medication. Do I have to drive to Arlington?
For a stimulant, yes, once. Our policy is that the first evaluation for a stimulant happens in person at the Pantego clinic; follow-ups can be by video. Denton students without a car can pair it with a trip home to the Fort Worth or Arlington side, or ride with a friend. If you would rather not drive, non-stimulant ADHD medication can start by video, and QbCheck objective testing can be added later.
Can I keep my provider after graduation or over the summer?
Yes, as long as you are in Texas. If you move from Denton to Austin, Houston, or back home to Plano after graduation, your video visits continue with the same provider and the same chart. Summer break is the same. Only a move out of Texas would end the relationship, and in that case we send your records wherever you go.
What is parking like at the Pantego clinic, and is the drive from Denton worth it?
Parking is on site at Suite 111. The drive is about 45 miles and roughly an hour each way. It is worth it for a stimulant start, because that first visit has to be in person. For everything else, we would rather you keep the hour and do the visit by video from your apartment near Fry Street.
Nearby areas we also serve
Explore care across Dallas-Fort Worth & North Texas or all Texas locations.
We also see patients in Lewisville, Frisco, Carrollton, Keller, and Fort Worth, by video or in person at Pantego.
Free and low-cost mental health resources in Denton
Denton County MHMR Center is the public mental health authority for Denton County and serves residents regardless of ability to pay. Call or text 988 any time for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. UNT students can use Counseling and Testing Services on campus, and TWU students can use Counseling and Psychological Services. If you are in immediate danger, call 911 or go to the emergency room at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Denton or Medical City Denton.
You can be seen this week. Book online at book.lytepsych.com or call 469-733-0848 and we will find a video slot within 1–2 business days.
Find the public mental health authority for your county through the Texas HHS local authority directory.