Yes. Lyte Psychiatry treats Waco patients by secure video, whether you are in a dorm on the Baylor campus, a house in Woodway, or a break room at Hillcrest. 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 costs $250.
Who needs this Waco page?
Start with a sophomore at Baylor University. The Counseling Center on campus got her in for a few sessions in the fall, and those sessions are used up. Her counselor thinks medication might help, but the campus has no quick path to a prescriber, and her parents' Aetna PPO is from a Dallas employer, and a cash-pay practice in Waco will not bill it. She is one of about 20,000 Baylor students, and the campus counseling model is built for short-term support, so a student who needs a prescriber has to look off campus.
The next reader lives in a Waco neighborhood off Valley Mills Drive and has nothing to do with the university. She teaches in Waco ISD, her husband runs a line at L3Harris out at the airport, and their kid has been having panic attacks before school. Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest and Ascension Providence both run large hospitals here, and neither can hand her a child psychiatry appointment this month. Heart of Texas Behavioral Health Network, the public mental health authority for McLennan County, gives first priority to residents without coverage, so a family with TRS-ActiveCare or a Cigna card from the plant is not who they are built to reach first.
Someone taking prerequisite courses at McLennan Community College while working nights has a different problem: no weekday daytime slot across town will ever fit. Each of these people can be seen by video this week.
What can Waco patients be treated for online?
Psychiatric evaluation and medication management for adults, teens, and children. Dr. Akintola is board-certified in child and adolescent psychiatry as well as adult psychiatry, so the Waco ISD parent above does not need a second referral for the child. Therapy with licensed professional counselors using CBT, solution-focused, and trauma-focused approaches. Combined care, where a prescriber and a counselor share one chart, so a Baylor student does not have to retell the story to two offices.
Conditions we treat include 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.
Mode: video only, no drive. Lyte has no office in Waco or McLennan County. Our single clinic is in Pantego, inside Arlington, roughly 95 miles north on I-35, and we will not pretend that is a sensible trip for a 20-minute medication check. Waco patients are seen by secure video, keep the same prescriber every visit, and get prescriptions sent electronically to whatever Waco pharmacy they choose.
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. A Baylor student who wants ADHD treatment without a trip up I-35 can start a non-stimulant by video, and the prescriber will say plainly at the first visit whether that is the right plan or whether the one in-person evaluation is worth the drive.
Video visits are available in Spanish; ask when you book. We write letters for Baylor's Office of Access and Learning Accommodation, for Waco ISD schools, and for employers on request.
What the numbers say about Waco
Waco adults report more frequent mental distress than Temple, 35 miles south on I-35. CDC PLACES (BRFSS 2023) puts frequent mental distress, meaning 14 or more poor mental health days in a month, at 20.4% in Waco against 18.5% in Temple. Diagnosed depression runs at 24.3% of Waco adults, a little under Temple's 25.4% but still nearly one adult in four. Waco (McLennan County) has 105,609 adults in the same release, so the distress figure alone covers about 21,500 people.
| Measure | Waco | Temple | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (14+ bad days/month) | 20.4% | 18.5% | CDC PLACES, BRFSS 2023 |
| Adults diagnosed with depression | 24.3% | 25.4% | CDC PLACES, BRFSS 2023 |
| Adult population, Waco (McLennan County) | 105,609 | 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 Waco?
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, and HSA and FSA cards are accepted. Waco is a student-insurance town. Many Baylor students are covered as dependents on a parent's plan from Houston or Dallas, often BCBS TX, UnitedHealthcare, or Aetna, and all three are in network here even when the plan was bought in another city. Waco ISD and Midway ISD staff carry TRS-ActiveCare, administered by BCBS TX. L3Harris and the two hospital systems issue commercial plans; send a photo of the card and we check it before you are seen. Medicare covers older patients in Woodway and Hewitt. If you are a student with no coverage at all, the $250 evaluation and $150 follow-ups are a known cost you can plan a semester around.
Who will you see
Dr. Akinwande Akintola, MD, medical director and supervisory psychiatrist, is 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 its faculty, and moved to Texas in 2012. Toyin Awe, PMHNP-BC, is a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner with more than 12 years of experience. NaTascha Jones, LPC, and Prishina Jimenez, LPC, provide therapy. Lyte has served 3,000+ patients and averages 4.9 stars across 200+ Google reviews.
Learn how therapy and psychiatry work together when both are part of your care plan.
Your questions, answered
Frequently asked questions from Waco patients
Can a Waco resident get a psychiatrist appointment online without a referral?
Yes. Any Texas resident can book directly with Lyte Psychiatry, and Waco patients are seen by secure video for evaluation, medication, and therapy. You do not need a referral from a Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest doctor, an Ascension Providence doctor, or the Baylor Counseling Center. Book online and choose a slot.
Is there a Lyte Psychiatry office in Waco or nearby in McLennan County?
No. Our only clinic is in Pantego, next to Arlington, roughly 95 miles north of Waco on I-35. We do not ask Waco patients to make that drive; every visit is by video. The one exception is a first stimulant evaluation for ADHD, which our policy requires in person at Pantego.
How soon can someone in Waco get seen?
Most new patients are seen within 1–2 business days of booking, and same-week is routine. A Baylor student booking on a Monday between classes is usually seen before the weekend. Tell us your schedule when you book and we will match a slot to it, which matters if you work nights near the L3Harris hangars or take morning classes at McLennan Community College.
What does a video visit cost from Waco with insurance versus self-pay?
With an in-network plan such as BCBS TX, UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Cigna, or a parent's PPO from another Texas city, most Waco patients pay a $0–$30 copay per visit. Self-pay is $250 for a new-patient psychiatric evaluation, $150 for a medication follow-up, and $150 for a first therapy session. HSA and FSA cards work, which a Baylor parent can fund from Dallas.
I used up my sessions at the Baylor Counseling Center. What happens next?
You can start with Lyte the same week by video from your room or a study carrel at Moody Library. If you already have a therapist through Baylor, you can keep them and use Lyte for the prescriber only, or move therapy here so both clinicians share one chart. Bring any notes or diagnoses the Counseling Center gave you; they shorten the first visit.
Can you see my child in Waco, and will you write something for Waco ISD?
Yes. Dr. Akintola is board-certified in child and adolescent psychiatry, and children and teens are seen by video with a parent in the room. If the school needs documentation for a 504 plan or a medication form, we write it on request. A Waco ISD family does not need a separate pediatric referral to book.
Can I start ADHD medication from Waco, or do I have to go to Pantego?
For a non-stimulant, you stay in Waco. 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 stimulant turns out to be the right medication, the Pantego trip is one 95-mile drive up I-35 and then video for every visit after.
Nearby areas we also serve
Explore care across Austin & Central Texas or all Texas locations.
We also see patients by video from Temple, Killeen, Georgetown, Round Rock, College Station, and Bryan.
Free and low-cost mental health resources in Waco
Heart of Texas Behavioral Health Network is the public mental health authority for McLennan County and serves residents without insurance or with limited income. Call or text 988 at any time for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 is free and confidential for substance use and mental health referrals. Enrolled Baylor students can use the Baylor Counseling Center for short-term support, and Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest and Ascension Providence both have emergency departments for a psychiatric crisis.
Book a video visit from Waco at book.lytepsych.com and we will confirm 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.