Yes. Lyte Psychiatry sees Huntsville and Walker County patients by secure video, with no drive to Houston or Conroe. Most new patients are seen within 1–2 business days. Insured patients usually pay a $0–$30 copay per visit, and a self-pay psychiatric evaluation is $250. Book online at any hour, no referral needed.
Who is this Huntsville page for?
Sam Houston State University sits a few blocks from the Walker County courthouse, and the campus Counseling Center is where most of its 20,000-plus students go first. That office is built for short-term counseling. A student who needs medication, or a standing appointment through the semester, gets referred out. If you are a Bearkat who has been told to "find a psychiatrist in the community," you can do that from your apartment on Sam Houston Avenue and use the insurance card your parents put in your wallet.
The other large employer in town is the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. TDCJ is headquartered in Huntsville, the Huntsville Unit sits downtown on 12th Street, and the Wynne, Ellis, Estelle, Goree, Holliday, and Byrd units are all inside Walker County. Thousands of correctional officers and other TDCJ employees work shifts inside those fences. That work carries stress home. A TDCJ officer with a state employee plan, a nurse at Huntsville Memorial Hospital on UnitedHealthcare, or a Huntsville ISD teacher on TRS-ActiveCare all have coverage that works here. Tri-County Behavioral Healthcare, the public mental health authority for Walker County, serves people without coverage first, and its main offices are in Conroe. If you have a plan or $250, video with a private practice is the faster route.
What can Lyte treat for Huntsville patients by video?
Psychiatric evaluation and medication management for adults, teens, and children, with Dr. Akintola board-certified in child and adolescent psychiatry. Therapy with licensed professional counselors trained in CBT, solution-focused, and trauma-focused work. Combined care, where the prescriber and the therapist write in the same chart and read each other's notes, so a Huntsville patient never has to repeat the story between two offices. ADHD evaluation and treatment for adults and teens.
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, and that care can be managed by video from Walker County. We write clinical letters for school, work, or clearance on request.
Mode for Huntsville is video only. Our one office is in Pantego, near Arlington, close to 180 miles north by I-45 and US-287, and we will not suggest that drive to anyone in Walker County. You see the same provider every visit, and prescriptions go electronically to the pharmacy you name in Huntsville.
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 Huntsville patients that means a non-stimulant started on the first video visit, with the choice to make one Pantego trip later if a stimulant turns out to be the right medicine. Video visits are available in Spanish; ask when you book.
A TDCJ officer working a 12-hour rotation can book online and pick a slot on a day off, and a student can take a visit between classes from a quiet room in the Newton Gresham Library.
Learn how therapy and psychiatry work together when both are part of your care plan.
What the numbers say about Huntsville
Huntsville counted 45,941 residents in the 2020 Census, and Walker County counted 76,400. Both figures include people incarcerated in the TDCJ units, because the Census Bureau counts prisoners where they are held, so the number of residents who can book a doctor is smaller than the headline. Sam Houston State reports more than 20,000 enrolled students, and a large share of them are only in town August through May.
For regional context, Conroe is 30 miles south on I-45. CDC PLACES (BRFSS 2023) puts diagnosed depression among Conroe adults at 21.9% and frequent mental distress at 17.6%, both above the Texas figures of 19.7% and 16.1%. Walker County, at 76,400 people, sits next to Montgomery County, which counted 620,443 residents in 2020 and holds most of the region's clinics. Texas DSHS reports that 162 Texas counties had no psychiatrist in 2025. For an insured Walker County resident who wants a routine outpatient evaluation this week, video is the option that does not involve I-45.
| Measure | Huntsville | Walker County | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 45,941 | 76,400 | U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census |
| Neighboring county population (Montgomery) | 620,443 | U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census | |
| Texas counties with no psychiatrist | 162 statewide | Texas DSHS, 2025 |
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.
What does a psychiatrist cost in Huntsville with insurance or without it?
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 with no surprise bill, and HSA and FSA cards are accepted. The cards we expect from Huntsville are the state employee plans held by TDCJ and Sam Houston State staff, which are administered by BlueCross BlueShield of Texas, and TRS-ActiveCare for Huntsville ISD employees, also a BCBS TX plan. Students often carry a parent's plan from Houston or Dallas, and we check that plan before the first visit. Ambetter marketplace plans are in network for households that buy their own coverage. If you have no coverage, the $250 evaluation is the whole price of the first visit.
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 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 Huntsville patients
Can a Sam Houston State student get a psychiatrist appointment this week without leaving Huntsville?
Yes. Most new patients are seen by video within 1–2 business days, and you can take the visit from your apartment, a dorm room on campus, or a study room in the Newton Gresham Library. You do not need a referral from the SHSU Counseling Center, though we are glad to coordinate with them if you sign a release.
Does Lyte have an office in Huntsville or anywhere in Walker County?
No. Our only office is in Pantego, next to Arlington, about 180 miles north of Huntsville by I-45 and US-287. Every Huntsville visit is by secure video, and there is no drive to Conroe, The Woodlands, or Houston for a follow-up either.
How fast can a TDCJ employee in Huntsville be seen, and can it fit a shift schedule?
Most new patients are seen within 1–2 business days. Correctional officers at the Huntsville, Wynne, Ellis, Estelle, Goree, and Holliday units tend to work 12-hour rotations, so book online and pick a slot that lands on a day off. Follow-up visits are shorter and stay by video, so the rotation does not cost you the prescriber.
What will I pay in Huntsville with insurance, and what is the price without it?
With an in-network plan such as BCBS TX, UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Cigna, Humana, or Ambetter, most patients pay a $0–$30 copay per visit. Without insurance, a new-patient psychiatric evaluation is $250, a medication follow-up is $150, and a first therapy session is $150. HSA and FSA cards work. A TDCJ or SHSU state employee plan is a BCBS TX plan and is in network.
I called Tri-County Behavioral Healthcare in Walker County and got a wait. Should I keep that appointment?
Keep it if you have no insurance and cannot pay $250, because Tri-County is the public mental health authority for Walker County and exists for that situation. If you do have a plan or can self-pay, a video visit here is usually available within 1–2 business days, and starting here does not cancel your place with Tri-County.
Can I start ADHD medication by video from Huntsville, or do I have to drive to Pantego?
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. Most Huntsville patients start a non-stimulant on the first video visit and decide later whether one 180-mile trip for a stimulant evaluation is worth it.
My child is in Huntsville ISD and the school wants a letter. Can you evaluate a child by video?
Yes. Dr. Akintola is board-certified in child and adolescent psychiatry and evaluates children and teens by video with a parent in the room. We write letters for Huntsville ISD campuses on request, including for 504 or accommodation meetings, once we have completed an evaluation.
Nearby areas we also serve
Explore care across Greater Houston & Gulf Coast or all Texas locations.
We also see patients from Conroe, The Woodlands, Spring, College Station, Bryan, and Houston.
Free and low-cost mental health resources in Huntsville
Tri-County Behavioral Healthcare is the public mental health authority for Walker County, along with Montgomery and Liberty counties, and serves residents without insurance first. Call or text 988 any time to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Sam Houston State students can also use the campus Counseling Center for short-term care. In an emergency, go to the emergency department at Huntsville Memorial Hospital on I-45.
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.