Yes. Lyte Psychiatry sees Tyler and Smith County patients by secure video, from your home, your car in a hospital lot, or a dorm at UT Tyler. Most new patients are seen within 1–2 business days. In-network patients usually pay a $0–$30 copay per visit, and a self-pay psychiatric evaluation is $250.
Who in East Texas is this Tyler page for?
South Broadway between Loop 323 and the two hospital campuses is where East Texas goes for medical care. People drive in from Jacksonville, Lindale, Mineola, Athens, and Henderson for a cardiologist at UT Health East Texas or a surgeon at CHRISTUS Mother Frances, and they assume psychiatry works the same way. It does not. The region has few psychiatrists and the clinics that exist fill fast. A two-hour round trip is reasonable for a scan. It is a poor use of a day for a 20-minute medication check every month.
If you live 40 minutes outside Tyler and already spend too much time on US-69 or SH-31, this page was written for you first. It also fits a Tyler ISD teacher or a Brookshire Grocery Company employee who was quoted a month or more for a first appointment, and a UT Tyler student or a resident at the UT Tyler Health Science Center on US-271 who has coverage and no free weekday.
The Andrews Center is the public mental health authority for Smith County. It serves residents without coverage first. If you have a plan or can pay a flat $250, a private practice that bills your carrier will usually see you sooner.
What can Lyte treat by video for Tyler patients?
Psychiatric evaluation and medication management for adults, teens, and children. Dr. Akintola is board-certified in child and adolescent psychiatry, so a Tyler ISD student is seen by a specialist in that age group. Therapy with licensed professional counselors using CBT, solution-focused, and trauma-focused methods. Combined care, meaning your prescriber and your counselor write in one chart. ADHD evaluation and treatment for adults and teens, with stimulant and non-stimulant options.
We treat depression, anxiety, panic, social anxiety, PTSD and trauma, OCD, bipolar disorder, ADHD, insomnia and sleep problems, postpartum and perinatal mood problems, grief, and stress and burnout. We write letters for schools, employers, and licensing boards on request. Dr. Akintola is a licensed Suboxone (buprenorphine) prescriber for opioid use disorder.
Every Tyler visit is by video. There is no Lyte office in Tyler, and our clinic in Pantego, beside Arlington, is roughly 110 miles west on I-20, which is not a trip we would ask a Smith County patient to make for psychiatry. You see the same prescriber at every visit, and your prescription is sent electronically to any pharmacy in Tyler, Whitehouse, Lindale, or wherever you live.
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 Tyler adults we start with a non-stimulant by video and only talk about the Pantego visit if that medication does not do enough.
Video visits are available in Spanish; ask when you book.
Learn how therapy and psychiatry work together when both are part of your care plan.
What the numbers say about Tyler
Tyler and Longview, the two cities that anchor East Texas, report distress at nearly the same rate, and both sit well above the state. CDC PLACES (BRFSS 2023) puts diagnosed depression at 23.1% of Tyler adults and 23.7% in Longview. Frequent mental distress, meaning 14 or more poor mental health days in a month, is 18.2% in Tyler and 19.2% in Longview. Tyler has 82,341 adults in that release, so the distress figure works out to roughly 15,000 people inside the city alone.
The supply side is thinner than the demand side. Texas DSHS reported that 162 Texas counties had no psychiatrist in 2025, and several of the counties whose residents drive to Tyler for care are on that list. A video visit reaches a patient in Rusk, Van Zandt, or Wood County at home, with no drive.
| Measure | Tyler | Longview | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adults diagnosed with depression | 23.1% | 23.7% | CDC PLACES, BRFSS 2023 |
| Frequent mental distress (14+ bad days/month) | 18.2% | 19.2% | CDC PLACES, BRFSS 2023 |
| Adult population | 82,341 | 61,908 | 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 Tyler 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 prices are flat, posted, and payable with an HSA or FSA card. The plans we bill most in Tyler are TRS-ActiveCare, administered by BCBS TX, for Tyler ISD, Whitehouse ISD, and Chapel Hill ISD staff; UT SELECT, the BCBS TX plan for UT Tyler and its Health Science Center employees; and the group plans that UT Health East Texas and CHRISTUS run for their own staff. Medicare covers our visits for retirees across Smith County, and Humana Medicare Advantage is common here. Ambetter marketplace plans are the usual route for self-employed and farm families in the surrounding counties. Tell us which carrier is on your card and we will confirm the copay before your first visit.
Who will you see
Dr. Akinwande Akintola, MD, is the 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 of experience. Therapy is with NaTascha Jones, LPC, and Prishina Jimenez, LPC. Lyte has served 3,000+ patients and holds a 4.9-star average from 200+ Google reviews.
Your questions, answered
Frequently asked questions from Tyler patients
Is there a way to see a psychiatrist in Tyler without waiting a month?
Yes, by video. Most new Tyler patients are seen within 1–2 business days, and you can book online at any hour. The clinics attached to UT Health East Texas and CHRISTUS Mother Frances carry the load for all of Smith County and the counties around it, which is why their first-appointment waits run long. You do not need a referral from a Tyler primary care doctor to start with us.
Does Lyte have an office in Tyler, or do I have to drive to Dallas?
Neither. All Tyler care is by secure video. Our only office is in Pantego, next to Arlington, about 110 miles west on I-20, and we do not ask Smith County patients to make that drive for a psychiatry visit. The one exception is a first stimulant evaluation for ADHD, which by our policy happens in person; ask about the non-stimulant route if that trip does not work for you.
How quickly can a UT Tyler student get a first appointment?
Usually within 1–2 business days, the same as any other Tyler patient. A student on a parent's BCBS TX or UnitedHealthcare plan can book, verify benefits, and be seen by video from a dorm or an apartment near campus before the week is out. If you are 18 or older, you book for yourself; a parent in Dallas or Houston cannot book on your behalf without your consent.
What will I pay in Tyler with insurance, and what if I have none?
With an in-network plan such as BCBS TX, TRS-ActiveCare, UT SELECT, Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, or Medicare, most Tyler patients pay a $0–$30 copay per visit. Without insurance the psychiatric evaluation is $250, a medication follow-up is $150, and a first therapy session is $150. Those are the whole prices, with no facility fee added, whether you live inside Loop 323 or out in Lindale.
Should I call the Andrews Center first, or start here?
That depends on your coverage. The Andrews Center is the public mental health authority for Smith County, and it serves residents without insurance first, so if you have no plan and cannot pay $250, start there. If you carry a commercial plan, Medicare, or Tricare, or can pay the flat self-pay rate, you will usually be seen faster by a private practice that bills your carrier. Both can be true at once; starting with us does not remove you from any Andrews Center list.
I live in Jacksonville, Lindale, or Athens. Can I use this Tyler page?
Yes. Video psychiatry covers all of Texas, so a patient in Cherokee, Van Zandt, or Henderson County books the same way a patient inside Loop 323 does, and skips the drive on US-69 or SH-31. Your prescription goes to your local pharmacy, and if you need a letter for a school district outside Tyler we write it on request.
Can I do my Tyler visit in Spanish?
Yes. Video visits are available in Spanish; ask when you book and we will schedule you with a Spanish-speaking clinician. This applies to patients anywhere in Smith County and the surrounding counties, and the copay and self-pay prices are the same.
Nearby areas we also serve
Explore care across East Texas or all Texas locations.
We also see patients by video in Longview, Lufkin, Nacogdoches, Texarkana, and Dallas, and from Jacksonville, Lindale, Whitehouse, Athens, Mineola, and Kilgore under this Tyler page.
Free and low-cost mental health resources in Tyler
The Andrews Center is the public mental health authority for Smith County and serves residents without insurance first. Call or text 988 any time for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. UT Health East Texas operates a behavioral health center in Tyler for patients who need inpatient care, and CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital in central Tyler has an emergency department for a psychiatric emergency. UT Tyler students can start with the campus student counseling center.
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.