Yes. Most new patients at Lyte Psychiatry are seen within 1–2 business days. From Weatherford you can start by secure video without leaving Parker County, or drive about 40 miles east on I-20 to our clinic in Pantego. With an in-network plan the copay is $0–$30 per visit. A self-pay psychiatric evaluation costs $250.
Who this page is for in Weatherford
Weatherford College dates to 1869, and every August it brings a fresh group of students into town from Mineral Wells, Granbury, and smaller places further out. A fair number of them were on an antidepressant or an ADHD medication at home, and the doctor who wrote it is now an hour or more away. That student is the first person this page is written for. The second is the parent whose kid at Weatherford High School stopped sleeping in the spring and has not started again. The third is the adult who finally said something at a checkup near Medical City Weatherford and walked out with a printed list of Fort Worth psychiatrists, none of whom had an opening.
The 1886 Parker County Courthouse sits in the middle of the square where US-180 and FM-51 cross, and the July Peach Festival packs that square with people from all over the county. Psychiatry in Weatherford is a much smaller crowd. Pecan Valley Centers covers Parker County as the public mental health authority, but its intake is aimed at serious mental illness and people with no coverage. A Weatherford ISD teacher on TRS-ActiveCare or a nurse at Medical City Weatherford with a UnitedHealthcare card usually gets pointed east instead.
Out toward Millsap, Peaster, or Poolville, that eastward trip is the problem. Video from home removes it. The provider on the screen is the same board-certified psychiatrist or nurse practitioner you would see in Pantego, and the office stays open to you whenever you decide a visit in person is worth the drive.
What can Lyte treat for Weatherford patients?
Psychiatric evaluation and medication management for adults, teens, and children. Dr. Akintola is board-certified in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, so a Weatherford ISD sophomore with panic attacks and a retired rancher with depression are both in scope. 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.
Therapy and counseling with our licensed professional counselors, who use CBT, solution-focused, and trauma-focused approaches. A patient who sees a prescriber and a therapist at Lyte has one chart between them, so the therapist can see what medication was started and the prescriber can read what came up in session.
ADHD evaluation and treatment for adults and teens, including QbCheck objective testing. We prescribe stimulants and non-stimulants. Dr. Akintola is also a licensed Suboxone prescriber, so medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder is available to Parker County patients by the same booking link. We write clinical letters for school, work, and clearance on request.
By video, you see the same provider every visit from anywhere in Texas, and from Weatherford that means no I-20 at all. In person, the clinic is at 2900 W Park Row Dr, Suite 111, in Pantego, about 40 miles east of the Parker County courthouse. Take I-20 east through Fort Worth, exit Bowen Rd in Arlington, and go north to Park Row. Video visits are available in Spanish; ask when you book.
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 Weatherford family that is one trip down I-20, and then video from the kitchen table after that.
Learn how therapy and psychiatry work together when both are part of your care plan.
What the numbers say about Weatherford
CDC PLACES (BRFSS 2023) puts Weatherford's adult population at 23,687 and reports that 24.8% of those adults have been told by a doctor that they have depression. Fort Worth, the city everyone on I-20 is driving toward for care, comes in lower at 23.2% in the same CDC BRFSS 2023 dataset. Texas as a whole is at 19.7% and the United States at 21.8%. On frequent mental distress, defined as 14 or more poor mental health days in the past month, Weatherford is at 17.8%, against 16.1% for Texas and 15.4% nationally.
The depression figure is the one to notice. A county seat of under 24,000 adults reports a higher share of diagnosed depression than the big city it sends its patients to. Multiply 17.8% by 23,687 and roughly 4,200 Weatherford adults are in a rough stretch this month, with one hospital and one public mental health authority to absorb them.
| Measure | Weatherford | Texas | U.S. | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adults told they have depression | 24.8% | 19.7% | 21.8% | CDC PLACES, BRFSS 2023 |
| Frequent mental distress (14+ bad days/month) | 17.8% | 16.1% | 15.4% | CDC PLACES, BRFSS 2023 |
| Adult population | 23,687 | 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 a psychiatrist cost in Weatherford with insurance?
For most insured Weatherford patients, $0 to $30 per visit after we verify your benefits. We are in network with BlueCross BlueShield of Texas, UnitedHealthcare and Optum, Cigna and Evernorth, Aetna, Humana, Ambetter, Medicare, Tricare, and more (see the full list). We check your benefits before the first visit, so you know your copay before you log on.
Many retirees in Weatherford and the rest of Parker County are on Medicare, which we accept. A video visit means they skip I-20 entirely. Weatherford ISD employees carry TRS-ActiveCare, which uses the BlueCross BlueShield of Texas network, so the district's teachers and staff are in network with us. Weatherford College and Medical City Weatherford employees generally hold one of the commercial plans named above.
Without insurance, you pay a flat fee and know it in advance. HSA and FSA cards work.
| 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 |
Who will you see at Lyte Psychiatry?
Dr. Akinwande Akintola, MD, is our medical director and supervisory psychiatrist. He is board-certified in Adult Psychiatry and in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, trained at Johns Hopkins and stayed on faculty there before moving to Texas in 2012. Toyin Awe, PMHNP-BC, is a psychiatric nurse practitioner with more than 12 years of experience. NaTascha Jones, LPC, and Prishina Jimenez, LPC, provide therapy. More than 3,000 patients have come through the practice, which holds a 4.9-star average from over 200 Google reviews.
Your questions, answered
Frequently asked questions from Weatherford patients
How soon can a new patient from Weatherford get a psychiatry appointment?
Within 1–2 business days for most people. Fort Worth practices often have long waits, and Lyte exists partly so a Parker County patient does not have to sit on one. The first visit can be by video from your house in Weatherford, Hudson Oaks, or anywhere else in Texas. Book at book.lytepsych.com or call 469-733-0848.
Which Lyte office is closest to Weatherford, and what is the route?
Pantego, at 2900 W Park Row Dr, Suite 111, Pantego, TX 76013. From the courthouse square it is about 40 miles: I-20 east through Fort Worth, past the I-35W and I-820 interchanges, off at Bowen Rd in Arlington, then north on Bowen to W Park Row Dr. Give it close to an hour when traffic is light. Only a first stimulant evaluation requires you to make the trip.
My child is at a Weatherford ISD campus. How quickly can they be evaluated for ADHD or anxiety?
The first appointment is usually within 1–2 business days. Because Dr. Akintola is board-certified in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, a Weatherford ISD student is evaluated here and does not need a referral to Cook Children's in Fort Worth for the first visit. When a stimulant is the likely plan, that first visit is in person in Pantego. For anxiety, depression, or a non-stimulant plan, the evaluation happens by video, and we can write the letter the campus counselor may ask for.
How much will a psychiatrist in Weatherford cost me, insured or not?
Insured through BlueCross BlueShield of Texas, UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Cigna, Medicare, or another in-network plan: most Weatherford patients owe $0 to $30 per visit. Self-pay: $250 for a new-patient psychiatric evaluation, $150 for a medication follow-up, $150 for a first therapy session and $125 for each one after, and $150 for a QbCheck ADHD test. Weatherford ISD employees on TRS-ActiveCare fall under BlueCross BlueShield of Texas and are in network.
Can a Weatherford College student who left their doctor at home continue medication by video?
Yes, provided you are physically in Texas during the visit. Students who came to Weatherford College from outside Parker County and left a prescriber behind can transfer medication management for ADHD, depression, or anxiety to us by video and keep one provider through the school year and into summer. Have your current prescription bottle or a pharmacy printout ready at the first visit so the refill does not lapse.
Is Lyte a substitute for Pecan Valley Centers or the ER at Medical City Weatherford in an emergency?
No. Anyone in immediate danger in Parker County should go to the emergency department at Medical City Weatherford or call or text 988. Crisis response and care for people without coverage are the job of Pecan Valley Centers, the public mental health authority for Parker County. Lyte handles outpatient evaluation, medication, and therapy for people who are safe today and want to be seen this week.
From Weatherford, can ADHD medication be started without a trip to Pantego?
A non-stimulant can be started entirely by video. A stimulant requires one visit first. 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 Weatherford patient the stimulant path means one drive down I-20 and then video from home.
What should Weatherford drivers know about I-20 traffic and parking in Pantego?
Parking is on site at the Pantego office. The slow part of I-20 from Weatherford is the stretch between the I-30 split and the I-35W interchange on the south side of Fort Worth, so a mid-morning or early-afternoon drive is easier than a rush-hour one. Patients up near Springtown sometimes prefer SH-199 into Fort Worth, then Loop 820 south to I-20. Whichever route you take, it is one drive, and video after that.
Nearby areas we also serve
For another community in this region, see care in Stephenville.
Explore care across Dallas-Fort Worth & North Texas or all Texas locations.
We also see patients from Fort Worth, Arlington, Burleson, Cleburne, and Mansfield, and our office page for Pantego has directions.
Free and low-cost mental health resources in Weatherford
For an emergency at any hour, call or text 988 or go to the emergency department at Medical City Weatherford. Parker County residents with no insurance and a serious diagnosis should start with Pecan Valley Centers, the public mental health authority for the county. Families with a student in Weatherford ISD can ask the campus counselor what the district offers, and Weatherford College students can ask student services what is available on campus.
If you are safe today, have insurance or can cover the self-pay rate, and do not want to wait on a Fort Worth practice, book online or call 469-733-0848. Start on video from Weatherford or drive in to Pantego, and the provider you meet first is the one you keep.
Find the public mental health authority for your county through the Texas HHS local authority directory.