Yes. Lyte Psychiatry sees Port Arthur patients by secure video, in English or Spanish, from home or a parked truck after a refinery shift. 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, and HSA and FSA cards are accepted.
Who is this Port Arthur page for?
Shift change at the Motiva refinery, the largest in North America, sends a line of trucks out onto SH-73 and Gulfway Drive twice a day. If you are in one of those trucks, you already know the problem with finding a psychiatrist here. There are not many psychiatrists in the Golden Triangle, most of them are in Beaumont, and their office hours assume you sleep at night. After a 12-hour day shift you are not driving to Beaumont for a 2 p.m. appointment.
You might also be the wife or husband at home in Port Acres or on the Mid-County side, managing the kids and the flood insurance paperwork while your spouse has not been the same since the last turnaround. A Port Arthur ISD parent whose teenager at Memorial High School has stopped going to class reads this page too, once the school has run out of options short of a psychiatrist. So does a Lamar State College Port Arthur student on a parent's plan who cannot find anyone in network. Spanish may be the language you would rather do this in.
Port Arthur has one hospital, the Medical Center of Southeast Texas on US-69, and Spindletop Center is the public mental health authority for Jefferson County. Spindletop serves people without coverage first, as it should. If you carry a Motiva, Valero, or union plan, a TRS plan from Port Arthur ISD, Medicare, or Ambetter, you are the patient we can see this week.
What can Lyte treat for Port Arthur patients by video?
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, so your prescriber and your therapist keep 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. Dr. Akintola is a licensed Suboxone prescriber for opioid use disorder, and that treatment can start by video. We write clinical letters for school and work on request, including return-to-work and leave documentation for refinery employers.
Video visits are available in Spanish; ask when you book.
Port Arthur is video only, with no drive. Lyte's one clinic is in Pantego, next to Arlington, about 300 miles from Port Arthur by US-69 and US-287, and we will not pretend that is a reasonable trip for a follow-up. Your provider is the same person at every visit, and the prescription is sent to the Port Arthur pharmacy you name.
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. If a 600-mile round trip is not realistic, and for a Port Arthur shift worker it usually is not, we can start a non-stimulant ADHD medication at the first video visit and review how it works at the follow-up.
Book the first visit for a day off or the morning after a night shift, and tell us your rotation when you book. If you want therapy as well, the first counselor session can be booked at the same time.
Learn how therapy and psychiatry work together when both are part of your care plan.
What the numbers say about Port Arthur
Port Arthur carries the highest frequent-mental-distress figure in Jefferson County's two main cities. CDC PLACES (BRFSS 2023) reports that 20.4% of Port Arthur adults had 14 or more poor mental health days in the past month, compared with 18.9% in Beaumont and 16.1% across Texas. Diagnosed depression is 21.1% in Port Arthur, close to Beaumont's 21% and above the Texas figure of 19.7%. Port Arthur (Jefferson County) has 40,934 adults in the same release, which puts the number of adults in frequent distress at roughly 8,300.
| Measure | Port Arthur | Beaumont | Texas | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (14+ bad days/month) | 20.4% | 18.9% | 16.1% | CDC PLACES, BRFSS 2023 |
| Adults diagnosed with depression | 21.1% | 21% | 19.7% | CDC PLACES, BRFSS 2023 |
| Adult population, Port Arthur (Jefferson County) | 40,934 | 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 Port Arthur 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. Port Arthur coverage mostly comes from Motiva and the neighboring plants, usually BlueCross or UnitedHealthcare, from union plans, and from Ambetter marketplace plans held by contractors and hourly workers across the rest of the city. Port Arthur ISD employees are typically on TRS-ActiveCare, administered by BCBS TX and in network here. Medicare covers our visits for retired refinery workers and their spouses. If you lost coverage between contracts, the $250 self-pay evaluation stands on its own, and you can switch to insurance at a later visit without repeating it.
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+ years' 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 Port Arthur patients
Does Lyte Psychiatry take video patients from Port Arthur, TX?
Yes. Port Arthur patients are seen by secure video from home or a parked truck, anywhere inside Texas. You book online, your benefits are checked before the visit, and the prescription goes to a pharmacy on Twin City Highway or wherever you already fill. Nothing about the visit requires you to leave Jefferson County.
How fast can a Motiva shift worker get a first appointment?
Most new Port Arthur patients are seen within 1–2 business days. A rotation at Motiva or Valero is easy to schedule around because you know your days off in advance; tell us the pattern when you book, and tell us if you are in the middle of a turnaround.
Is there a psychiatrist's office in Port Arthur, or do I have to go to Beaumont?
Lyte has no office in Port Arthur and none in Beaumont. Our only clinic is in Pantego, near Arlington, about 300 miles away, so every Port Arthur visit is by video. The practical effect is that you skip the drive up US-69 to a Beaumont office and the wait for one of its openings.
What does a Port Arthur patient pay with insurance compared with self-pay?
With BCBS TX, UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Cigna, or another in-network plan, most Port Arthur patients pay a $0–$30 copay per visit. Without insurance, a psychiatric evaluation is $250, a medication follow-up is $150, and a first therapy session is $150. A contractor between jobs at the Sabine Pass or Port Arthur LNG sites can pay the flat rate and add insurance later.
¿Puedo tener mi cita en español desde Port Arthur?
Sí. Video visits are available in Spanish; ask when you book. A Port Arthur family can do the whole visit in Spanish, from the first evaluation to medication follow-ups, and we write clinical letters for Port Arthur ISD or an employer on request.
Can my Port Arthur ISD teenager see a child psychiatrist by video?
Yes. Dr. Akintola is board-certified in child and adolescent psychiatry and sees teens by video. A student at Memorial High School or Woodrow Wilson Early College can be seen within 1–2 business days, and we write letters for the campus counselor or a 504 plan on request. Therapy with one of our counselors can run alongside, in the same chart.
Should I call Spindletop Center in Port Arthur instead?
If you have no insurance and cannot pay $250, Spindletop Center is the right first call; it is the public mental health authority for Jefferson County and serves Port Arthur residents without coverage. If you have a plant plan, a TRS plan, Medicare, or Ambetter, or you can pay self-pay, we can see you within 1–2 business days, and you can still use Spindletop's crisis services if you ever need them.
Nearby areas we also serve
Explore care across Greater Houston & Gulf Coast or all Texas locations.
We also see patients from Beaumont, Baytown, Galveston, League City, and Houston.
Free and low-cost mental health resources in Port Arthur
Spindletop Center is the public mental health authority for Jefferson County and serves Port Arthur residents without insurance or with limited income. Call or text 988 any time for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The Medical Center of Southeast Texas has the closest emergency department for a psychiatric crisis that cannot wait for an appointment. Lamar State College Port Arthur students can ask the college for on-campus counseling options.
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.