Yes. Lyte Psychiatry sees Houston patients by secure video from anywhere in Harris County, with the same provider at every visit. Most new patients are seen within 1–2 business days. Insured patients usually pay a $0–$30 copay per visit; a self-pay psychiatric evaluation is $250. Houston is video only; we have no office in the city.
Who is this Houston page for?
You may work in the Texas Medical Center, on a 12-hour rotation at Memorial Hermann, Houston Methodist, or one of the HCA Houston Healthcare hospitals, and you cannot get to a psychiatrist's office during the hours psychiatrists keep. Or you work in the energy sector, in the Energy Corridor on I-10 or downtown, and your employer's BCBS TX or UnitedHealthcare plan is fine, but every in-network psychiatrist you call has a wait of six weeks or more. Or you called The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD, the public mental health authority for Harris County, and learned that its clinics prioritize people without coverage, which you have.
Many of Houston's psychiatrists work inside the TMC, tied to Baylor College of Medicine, UTHealth Houston, or the Menninger Clinic. Those clinics teach, research, and see the hardest cases, and their new-patient lines are long. A Houston ISD teacher in Alief, a nurse in Bellaire, or a refinery engineer in Clear Lake with a commercial plan is usually better served by a private practice that takes the plan and can see them this week by video. That is what this page offers. It also helps if you lost your prescriber in the last storm season and need a refill before the next one.
Which Houston are you in?
Houston is 600 square miles, and where you sit changes which page is most useful. Inside the Loop, in Midtown, Montrose, The Heights, or the East End, this page is yours. If you are on the west side past Beltway 8, read our Katy page. Southwest of the city in Fort Bend County, read Sugar Land. North on I-45 in Montgomery County, read The Woodlands. South on SH-288, read Pearland. The care is the same video visit from the same providers; the pages differ in local resources and which county authority serves you.
What can Lyte treat for Houston patients?
Psychiatric evaluation and medication management for adults, teens, and children. Therapy with licensed professional counselors using CBT, solution-focused, and trauma-focused work. Combined care, which means your prescriber and your therapist write in one chart and can read each other's notes. ADHD evaluation and treatment for adults and teens, with stimulant and non-stimulant options.
Conditions we treat: depression, anxiety, panic, social anxiety, PTSD and trauma, OCD, bipolar disorder, ADHD, insomnia, postpartum and perinatal mood problems, grief, and stress and burnout. Dr. Akintola is a licensed Suboxone prescriber for opioid use disorder. We write clinical letters for school and work on request.
Mode for Houston: secure video only, no drive. Our one clinic is in Pantego, inside Arlington, roughly 250 miles up I-45 from downtown Houston, and we do not ask Houston patients to make that trip. You will see the same prescriber at every visit from your home in Meyerland, your break room at Texas Children's, or your truck in the Ship Channel parking lot, as long as you are in Texas and somewhere private.
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 most Houston patients the practical route is a non-stimulant started by video this week, and we will talk through whether that fits you at the first visit.
Video visits are available in Spanish; ask when you book. Harris County has more Hispanic residents than any other county in Texas, and the whole visit, including therapy, can run in Spanish for a patient in Gulfton, the East End, or the North Side.
A first video visit is with the prescriber, and any prescription goes to the Houston pharmacy you choose. If therapy makes sense, you can book a first counselor session with us as well. If you work nights in the TMC or a 7-on-7-off schedule at a plant, tell us when you book and we will find a slot around it.
Learn how therapy and psychiatry work together when both are part of your care plan.
What the numbers say about Houston
Houston adults report slightly more mental distress than the state average. CDC PLACES (BRFSS 2023) puts diagnosed depression among Houston adults at 19.9%, close to Texas at 19.7% and below the U.S. at 21.8%. Frequent mental distress, meaning 14 or more poor mental health days in a month, is 17.1% in Houston, against 16.1% for Texas and 15.4% for the U.S. With 1,760,104 adults in Houston per the same release, the distress figure alone works out to roughly 300,000 people. The Harris Center is the safety net for the uninsured share of that group; the insured share mostly waits.
| Measure | Houston | Texas | U.S. | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adults diagnosed with depression | 19.9% | 19.7% | 21.8% | CDC PLACES, BRFSS 2023 |
| Frequent mental distress (14+ bad days/month) | 17.1% | 16.1% | 15.4% | CDC PLACES, BRFSS 2023 |
| Adult population, Houston | 1,760,104 | CDC PLACES, BRFSS 2023 |
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 an online psychiatrist cost in Houston with insurance?
In network: BlueCross BlueShield of Texas, UnitedHealthcare and Optum, Cigna and Evernorth, Aetna, Humana, Ambetter, Medicare, Tricare, and more (see the full list). Benefits are verified before the first visit. Most insured patients pay a $0–$30 copay per visit.
| 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 |
Self-pay is a flat price, and HSA and FSA cards are accepted. In Houston the plans we see most are BCBS TX and UnitedHealthcare PPOs from the energy companies and the big TMC employers, Aetna and Cigna from downtown professional firms, and Ambetter from the Marketplace for self-employed Houstonians. Houston ISD employees should check the carrier on the card and tell us; we will confirm the copay before the first visit. Medicare covers our video visits for older patients in Bellaire, West University, and Kingwood.
Who will you see at Lyte?
Dr. Akinwande Akintola, MD, is our medical director and supervisory psychiatrist, board-certified in Adult Psychiatry and in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. He trained at Johns Hopkins, stayed on faculty there, and moved to Texas in 2012. Toyin Awe, PMHNP-BC, is a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner with 12 or more years of experience. Therapy is with NaTascha Jones, LPC, and Prishina Jimenez, LPC. Lyte has served 3,000+ patients with a 4.9-star average from 200+ Google reviews.
Your questions, answered
Frequently asked questions from Houston patients
Can I get a video psychiatry appointment from Houston this week?
Yes. Most new Houston patients are seen within 1–2 business days by secure video. Book online at any hour. If a TMC clinic or a private practice in the Galleria area has quoted you a wait of weeks, you can start with us and keep your place on their list.
Does Lyte have an office in Houston, or do I have to drive to Pantego?
We have no Houston office. Our only clinic is in Pantego, inside Arlington, about 250 miles from downtown Houston via I-45, and we do not expect anyone to make that drive. Houston care is by video only. The one exception is the in-person first evaluation our policy requires before a stimulant, and for that most Houston patients choose the non-stimulant route by video instead.
I work in the Texas Medical Center. Can I do a visit on a break?
Yes, if you have a private place to sit for the length of the visit. A follow-up can be done from a car in a Memorial Hermann or Houston Methodist garage, or from a quiet room at Texas Children's before or after a shift. Tell us your rotation when you book and we will schedule around it; a first evaluation takes longer than a follow-up, so plan that one for a day off.
How much will I pay in Houston with insurance versus cash?
With an in-network plan such as BCBS TX, UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, or Cigna, most Houston patients pay a $0–$30 copay per visit. Without insurance, a new-patient psychiatric evaluation is $250, a medication follow-up is $150, and a first therapy session is $150. HSA and FSA cards work, and the price is the same whether you are in Meyerland or Kingwood.
I am on a waitlist at The Harris Center. Should I still book with you?
If you have insurance or can pay $250, yes. The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD is the public mental health authority for Harris County, and its clinics serve residents without coverage first, so an insured Houstonian on that list can wait a long time. You do not have to leave the list to start here; if the Harris Center calls, you can decide then which care to keep.
Can I do my Houston video visit in Spanish?
Yes. Video visits are available in Spanish; ask when you book. That covers both psychiatry and therapy visits, whether you are in Gulfton, the East End, the North Side, or across the county line in Pasadena.
What happens to my care if a hurricane knocks out power in Houston?
You keep the same provider, and the visit moves to wherever you have a signal. After Hurricane Beryl in July 2024, much of Houston was without CenterPoint power for days. A video visit works from a phone on cellular data or from a relative's house outside the outage area. If you evacuate inside Texas, you can still be seen; if you evacuate to Louisiana, we have to wait until you are back in Texas.
Nearby areas we also serve
Explore care across Greater Houston & Gulf Coast or all Texas locations.
We also see patients from Katy, Sugar Land, Pearland, The Woodlands, Pasadena, and Cypress.
Free and low-cost mental health resources in Houston
The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD is the public mental health authority for Harris County and serves residents without insurance. Call or text 988 any time for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. NAMI Greater Houston runs free peer support and family programs. Houston Behavioral Healthcare Hospital provides inpatient and crisis stabilization, and the Menninger Clinic offers specialty inpatient psychiatric care for complex cases.
Book a video visit at book.lytepsych.com and we will verify your benefits before you are seen. Or call 469-733-0848.
Find the public mental health authority for your county through the Texas HHS local authority directory.