Yes. Lyte Psychiatry sees Katy patients by secure video from anywhere in the Katy area, whether your address falls in Harris, Fort Bend, or Waller County, with the same provider 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.
Who is this Katy page for?
You are probably one of three people. A parent in Cinco Ranch, Seven Lakes, or Cross Creek Ranch whose teen is struggling at a Katy ISD high school, whose pediatrician suggested a psychiatrist, and who found the child psychiatry waits in the Houston area run months. An Energy Corridor employee on the BCBS TX or UnitedHealthcare plan from BP, Shell, ConocoPhillips, or one of the engineering firms along I-10, who can take a video call at lunch but cannot lose a half day to drive into the Loop and back. Or a nurse or tech at Houston Methodist West or Memorial Hermann Katy who works twelves and needs a provider who will schedule around them.
Katy has hospitals, a very large school district, and a lot of well-insured families, and still has too few psychiatrists who take those plans and have room this month. The public option does not help most Katy readers. The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD serves the Harris County side, and Texana Center serves the Fort Bend and Waller sides, and both put residents without coverage first. If you have a commercial plan or Medicare, or you can pay $250, a private practice that takes your plan and can see you this week by video is the faster path. That is what this page offers.
What can Lyte treat for Katy patients?
Psychiatric evaluation and medication management for adults, teens, and children. Dr. Akintola is board-certified in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, which matters for a Katy ISD family. 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 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. We write clinical letters for school and work on request, including letters for a Katy ISD 504 or ARD meeting.
Mode for Katy: secure video only, no drive. There is no Lyte office in Katy. Our one clinic is in Pantego, inside Arlington, about 265 miles away by I-10 and I-45, and we do not ask anyone west of the Grand Parkway to make that trip. You will see the same prescriber at every visit from your kitchen in Cinco Ranch, your car in the Memorial Hermann Katy garage, or a conference room in the Energy Corridor, 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 a Katy teen or adult with ADHD, the practical route is usually a non-stimulant started by video this week, and we will discuss at the first visit whether that fits.
Video visits are available in Spanish; ask when you book. A first video visit is with the prescriber, and any prescription goes to the Katy pharmacy you choose. If therapy makes sense, you can book a first counselor session with us, and the counselor reads the same chart. Teens can do their visit from home, and a parent joins for the first part of the first visit.
Learn how therapy and psychiatry work together when both are part of your care plan.
What the numbers say about Katy
Katy adults report more diagnosed depression than the state or national average, and less frequent distress. CDC PLACES (BRFSS 2023) puts diagnosed depression among Katy adults at 20.3%, above 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 14.7% in Katy, under Texas at 16.1% and the U.S. at 15.4%. The same release counts 15,914 adults inside the City of Katy. That figure covers city limits only; the Katy ISD attendance zone in unincorporated Harris and Fort Bend County holds many times that number, so the percentages are the useful part.
| Measure | Katy | Texas | U.S. | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adults diagnosed with depression | 20.3% | 19.7% | 21.8% | CDC PLACES, BRFSS 2023 |
| Frequent mental distress (14+ bad days/month) | 14.7% | 16.1% | 15.4% | CDC PLACES, BRFSS 2023 |
| Adult population, City of Katy | 15,914 | 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 Katy 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 Katy the plans we see most are BCBS TX and UnitedHealthcare PPOs from the Energy Corridor employers, Aetna and Cigna from the hospital systems and professional firms, and Medicare from the older residents of Old Katy and Nottingham Country. Katy ISD employees should check the carrier on the card; if it is TRS-ActiveCare, BCBS TX administers it and we are in network. Tell us the plan when you book and we will confirm the copay before the first visit.
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 Katy patients
Can I get a video psychiatry appointment from Katy this week?
Yes. Most new Katy patients are seen within 1–2 business days by secure video. Book online at any hour. If a practice in the Energy Corridor or the Memorial area has quoted you a wait of weeks, you can start here and keep your place on their list while you do.
Is there a Lyte office in Katy, or anywhere near I-10 west?
No. Katy is served by video only. Our only clinic is in Pantego, inside Arlington, about 265 miles from Katy by I-10 and I-45, and we do not expect anyone to make that drive for a psychiatry visit. The one thing that requires the Pantego office is the first evaluation before a stimulant; most Katy patients take the non-stimulant route by video instead.
My teen goes to a Katy ISD high school. Can you see them by video?
Yes. Dr. Akintola is board-certified in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and sees teens from Cinco Ranch, Seven Lakes, Tompkins, Katy, Taylor, and the other Katy ISD high schools by video, usually within 1–2 business days. A parent joins the first part of the first visit. We write letters for Katy ISD 504 and ARD meetings on request, and a counselor can see your teen in the same chart.
How much will I pay in Katy with insurance versus cash?
With an in-network plan such as BCBS TX, UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, or Cigna, most Katy 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. The Energy Corridor PPOs and Katy ISD's TRS-ActiveCare are both plans we take.
I work in the Energy Corridor. Can I do a visit from the office?
Yes, if you have a private room or your car for the length of the visit. A medication follow-up fits in a lunch break in a booked conference room or a parked car off Eldridge Parkway or Dairy Ashford. Plan the first evaluation for a day off, since it runs longer than a follow-up.
Which county mental health authority covers Katy, and can I use it instead?
It depends on your address. The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD covers the Harris County part of Katy, and Texana Center covers the Fort Bend and Waller County parts, including Cinco Ranch and Fulshear. Both serve residents without insurance first. If you have a commercial plan or Medicare, you will generally be seen faster at a private practice like ours, and you can stay on their list while you start here.
Can I do my Katy 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 Old Katy, Mason Park, or on the Fort Bend side near Westpark Tollway.
Nearby areas we also serve
Explore care across Greater Houston & Gulf Coast or all Texas locations.
We also see patients from Houston, Sugar Land, Cypress, Missouri City, and Pearland.
Free and low-cost mental health resources in Katy
The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD is the public mental health authority for the Harris County side of Katy, and Texana Center is the authority for the Fort Bend and Waller County sides; both serve residents without insurance. Call or text 988 any time for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Houston Methodist West and Memorial Hermann Katy have emergency departments on I-10 for a crisis that cannot wait, and Katy ISD campuses have counselors who can start a referral for a student.
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.