Yes. Lyte Psychiatry sees San Antonio patients by secure video from anywhere in Bexar County, and you keep 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. We are in network with Tricare.
Who is this San Antonio page for?
Start at the referral desk at Brooke Army Medical Center on a Monday morning. A spouse of an airman at JBSA-Randolph has been told the behavioral health clinic on post has nothing open for weeks, and her Tricare card is the same one the clinic keeps saying is fine. That spouse is the first person this page is written for. Military City USA has three main installations under Joint Base San Antonio, at Lackland, Fort Sam Houston, and Randolph, and the clinics on post see active duty members before dependents and retirees.
The second reader is a retiree enrolled at the Audie L. Murphy VA Hospital who wants a private prescriber for medication in between VA visits, or who has Medicare and would rather not wait for the next opening on Merton Minter. The third works a desk at USAA off I-10 or at the H-E-B headquarters on the Arsenal, has a commercial PPO through work, and has not found a practice around the Medical Center that takes the plan and has an opening soon. A Northside ISD or San Antonio ISD teacher with TRS-ActiveCare fits the same pattern.
The Center for Health Care Services, the public mental health authority for Bexar County, serves people without coverage first. UT Health San Antonio Psychiatry runs academic clinics that take referrals for complex cases. If you have Tricare, Medicare, or a commercial plan, or you can pay $250, we can usually see you by video this week.
What can Lyte treat for San Antonio 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, where your prescriber and your therapist share 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, which matters for a veteran or a retiree who has been on opioids since an injury on active duty. We write clinical letters for school and work on request.
Mode for San Antonio: secure video only, with no drive. There is no Lyte office in San Antonio. Our single clinic is in Pantego, inside Arlington, about 270 miles north on I-35, and we will not pretend that is a trip anyone in Bexar County should make for a psychiatry visit. You log in from base housing at Fort Sam or from a parked car outside the commissary at Lackland, as long as you are inside 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. That means a San Antonio patient with ADHD usually begins with a non-stimulant by video this week, and the prescriber will explain at the first visit whether that is the right medication.
Video visits are available in Spanish; ask when you book. Bexar County is majority Hispanic, and for a patient on the West Side or out past Loop 410 on the South Side, the visit can run in Spanish with the same clinician each time.
The first video visit is with the prescriber, and any prescription goes to the San Antonio pharmacy you name, including the one nearest your gate. A first counselor session can be booked before you sign off. If you rotate shifts at the Toyota plant on the South Side or work nights at a Methodist or Baptist hospital, tell us the schedule when you book and we will fit the slot to it.
Learn how therapy and psychiatry work together when both are part of your care plan.
What the numbers say about San Antonio
San Antonio adults carry a heavier depression load than the county next door. CDC PLACES (BRFSS 2023) puts diagnosed depression among San Antonio adults at 22.4%. The same release puts New Braunfels, 30 miles up I-35 in Comal County, at 21.6%, and Texas as a whole at 19.7%. Frequent mental distress, meaning 14 or more poor mental health days in a month, is 17.2% in San Antonio against 16.0% in New Braunfels and 16.1% statewide. With 1,094,548 adults in San Antonio, which sits in Bexar County, the distress figure alone works out to about 188,000 people. Joint Base San Antonio is the largest joint base in the Department of Defense, and the behavioral health clinics at BAMC and Wilford Hall serve that military population before anyone else.
| Measure | San Antonio | New Braunfels | Texas | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adults diagnosed with depression | 22.4% | 21.6% | 19.7% | CDC PLACES, BRFSS 2023 |
| Frequent mental distress (14+ bad days/month) | 17.2% | 16.0% | 16.1% | CDC PLACES, BRFSS 2023 |
| Adult population, San Antonio (Bexar County) | 1,094,548 | U.S. Census Bureau, via CDC PLACES 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 San Antonio with Tricare or other 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. Tricare covers the largest group of readers of this page, active duty families at JBSA and retirees who stayed in San Antonio after their last assignment. Medicare, alone or paired with Tricare For Life, covers older veterans in Alamo Heights, Windcrest, and Converse. Among commercial plans, employees at USAA, H-E-B, and the hospital systems usually carry a PPO, and BCBS TX, UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, and Cigna are all in network. Northside ISD and San Antonio ISD staff are on TRS-ActiveCare, which BCBS TX administers. Send us the carrier on your card and we confirm your copay before you are seen.
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 San Antonio patients
Can I get a video psychiatry appointment from San Antonio this week?
Yes. Most new San Antonio patients are seen within 1–2 business days by secure video, and you can book online at any hour. If the behavioral health clinic at BAMC or a private practice in the Medical Center 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 San Antonio, or is it video only?
Video only. Our one clinic is in Pantego, inside Arlington, roughly 270 miles north of downtown San Antonio on I-35, and we do not ask Bexar County patients to make that drive. Every visit, including the first evaluation, happens by secure video from wherever in Texas you happen to be that day.
I have Tricare Prime at JBSA. Do I need a referral, and how is that different from Tricare Select?
We are in network with Tricare. If you are on Tricare Prime, active duty members need a referral from the primary care manager on post before seeing an outside provider, and dependents on Prime should ask their PCM or the referral office at Lackland, Fort Sam Houston, or Randolph for one, so the visit does not turn into a point-of-service bill. If you are on Tricare Select, you can book outpatient mental health care with a network provider without a referral. Tell us which one is on your card and we will check it before the first visit.
I am going TDY or PCSing out of Texas. Can I keep my video visits going?
No. Our clinicians are licensed in Texas, and you have to be physically inside Texas at the time of the visit. A TDY to Fort Bliss in El Paso or to Dyess in Abilene is fine. A TDY to Fort Bragg or a PCS to Ramstein means we pause care and send your records to whoever picks you up there. Tell us before you leave and we will write enough refills to bridge the gap where that is safe.
How much does a psychiatrist cost in San Antonio with insurance versus cash?
With Tricare, Medicare, or a commercial plan such as BCBS TX, UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, or Cigna, most San Antonio patients pay a $0–$30 copay per visit. Without insurance, a new-patient evaluation is $250, a medication follow-up is $150, and a first therapy session is $150. Those flat prices hold whether you live in Stone Oak or on the South Side.
I am a veteran at Audie L. Murphy VA Hospital. Can I also see Lyte?
Yes. A veteran in the South Texas Veterans Health Care System can keep VA primary care and use a private prescriber for faster medication visits, paid by Medicare, Tricare For Life, or a commercial plan from a post-service job at USAA or H-E-B. We will ask for your VA medication list and send our notes back so the two records agree.
¿Atienden a pacientes en español en San Antonio?
Sí. Video visits are available in Spanish; ask when you book. The visit can be in Spanish for a patient anywhere in Bexar County, from the West Side to Southtown, and the copay and the $250 self-pay price are the same in either language.
My teenager is in Northside ISD and the school counselor recommended a psychiatrist. Can you see a minor by video?
Yes. Dr. Akintola is board-certified in child and adolescent psychiatry, and a parent can book a video evaluation for a Northside ISD or San Antonio ISD student within 1–2 business days. Bring any 504 or special education paperwork the campus has issued, and we will write a letter for the school on request.
Nearby areas we also serve
Explore care across San Antonio & South Texas or all Texas locations.
We also see patients from New Braunfels, Schertz and Cibolo, Seguin, Boerne, San Marcos, and Austin.
Free and low-cost mental health resources in San Antonio
The Center for Health Care Services is the public mental health authority for Bexar County and serves residents without insurance. Call or text 988 any time for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline; veterans and service members can dial 988 and press 1 for the Veterans Crisis Line. UT Health San Antonio Psychiatry runs specialty and academic clinics for complex cases, Brooke Army Medical Center handles behavioral health for the military community, and NAMI San Antonio provides peer support and family education.
Book a video visit at book.lytepsych.com and we will verify your Tricare or other 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.