Yes. Lyte Psychiatry sees Lufkin patients by secure video from home, a parked truck, or a break room anywhere in Angelina County. Most new patients are seen within 1–2 business days. With an in-network plan you usually pay a $0–$30 copay per visit; a self-pay psychiatric evaluation is $250.
Who this page is for in Lufkin
The parking lot at the Pilgrim's plant empties at shift change, and logging crews head out on US-69 before daylight. If you work those hours, a Tuesday morning appointment 90 minutes away in Tyler is not going to happen. It is easy to keep putting this off when Lufkin has two hospitals but few psychiatrists, and the ones who exist fill fast.
You might live in Lufkin itself, or out in Huntington, Diboll, Zavalla, or Hudson and drive in on Loop 287 for everything. Your primary care doctor at CHI St. Luke's Health Memorial Lufkin or Woodland Heights Medical Center may have started an antidepressant and then said the words "you ought to see a psychiatrist," with no name attached. Burke Center, the public mental health authority headquartered in Lufkin, covers twelve Deep East Texas counties and prioritizes people without insurance and people in crisis. If you have a BCBS or UnitedHealthcare card from Lufkin ISD, Angelina College, or one of the hospitals, you are not at the front of that line.
This page is for you if you have insurance or can pay $250 flat and want a prescriber who will see you this week and keep seeing you. A phone with a camera is the only equipment. A parent booking for a teenager at Lufkin High School fits here too; Dr. Akintola is board-certified in child and adolescent psychiatry.
What kinds of care can Lufkin patients get by video?
Psychiatric evaluation and medication management for adults, teens, and children. Therapy with a licensed professional counselor using CBT, solution-focused, or trauma-focused approaches. Combined care when you want both, with the prescriber and the therapist writing in one shared chart so you never repeat your history. ADHD evaluation and treatment for adults and teens.
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 (buprenorphine) prescriber for opioid use disorder. Clinical letters for school, work, or a DOT-related employer are written on request.
Every Lufkin visit is by secure video. There is no Lyte office in Lufkin, and our only clinic is in Pantego, next to Arlington, roughly 180 miles northwest. We are not going to pretend that is a reasonable drive for a follow-up. Video is the whole model for Angelina County, and you keep the same provider at every visit.
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 Lufkin adult with ADHD, a non-stimulant started by video is a workable first step, and you can decide later whether one trip to Pantego for a stimulant evaluation is worth it. Video visits are available in Spanish; ask when you book.
Your prescriptions go electronically to whichever Lufkin pharmacy you name, whether that is a Brookshire Brothers pharmacy or a chain store on Loop 287. Shift workers at Pilgrim's or the hospitals can tell us their rotation when booking and we will match a slot to it.
What the numbers say about Lufkin
Lufkin carries a heavier mental health load than Texas as a whole. CDC PLACES (BRFSS 2023) reports that 22.9% of Lufkin adults have been told they have depression, against 19.7% for Texas. Frequent mental distress, meaning 14 or more poor mental health days in a month, is 19.4% in Lufkin, against 16.1% statewide. Nacogdoches, twenty miles up US-59, runs even higher at 26.0% and 22.7% on the same two measures, so this is a Deep East Texas pattern rather than a Lufkin quirk. Lufkin (Angelina County) has 25,677 adults in the same release; at 19.4%, that is close to 5,000 adults with frequent distress in the city.
| Measure | Lufkin | Nacogdoches | Texas | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adults diagnosed with depression | 22.9% | 26.0% | 19.7% | CDC PLACES, BRFSS 2023 |
| Frequent mental distress (14+ bad days/month) | 19.4% | 22.7% | 16.1% | CDC PLACES, BRFSS 2023 |
| Adult population, Lufkin (Angelina County) | 25,677 | CDC PLACES, BRFSS 2023 |
Texas DSHS counted 162 Texas counties with no psychiatrist in 2025. Angelina County has hospitals and a public mental health authority, and it also takes in patients from the rural counties around it, several of which are on that list.
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 Lufkin?
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 posted, and HSA and FSA cards work. Lufkin ISD and most surrounding districts (Hudson, Diboll, Huntington, Central) are on TRS-ActiveCare, administered through BCBS TX, and we are in network for it. Angelina College employees are also typically on a BCBS TX plan. Hospital employees at CHI St. Luke's Health Memorial Lufkin and Woodland Heights are usually on a commercial plan we accept; check the carrier name on your card. Ambetter marketplace plans are in network for self-employed patients in Angelina County, and Medicare covers our visits for retirees in Lufkin and along the Sam Rayburn Reservoir side of the county.
Who will you see from Lufkin?
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.
Learn how therapy and psychiatry work together when both are part of your care plan.
Your questions, answered
Frequently asked questions from Lufkin patients
Is online psychiatry available to someone living in Lufkin, TX?
Yes, anywhere in Angelina County. Our providers are licensed in Texas and see Lufkin patients by secure video on a phone, tablet, or computer. If your home internet out toward Zavalla or Huntington is unreliable, a parked car with a phone signal on Loop 287 works fine for a visit; you only need a private spot and a camera.
Is there a Lyte office in Lufkin or anywhere nearby?
No. Lufkin is video-only for us. Our single clinic is in Pantego, inside Arlington in the DFW area, about 180 miles from Lufkin by US-69 and I-45 or by US-287 through Corsicana, and we do not expect anyone from Angelina County to drive it for routine care. The only visit that requires the Pantego office is the first evaluation before starting a stimulant.
How fast can a Lufkin patient get a first appointment?
Most new patients are seen within 1–2 business days of booking. Compare that with a referral from a Lufkin primary care office to a psychiatrist in Tyler or Houston, which usually means a wait of weeks and a round trip of three to five hours. Book online at any hour and pick the earliest slot that fits around your shift.
What will a visit cost me in Lufkin with insurance, and what if I have none?
With an in-network plan such as BCBS TX (including TRS-ActiveCare for Lufkin ISD), UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Cigna, or Ambetter, most patients pay $0–$30 per visit. Without insurance, a new-patient psychiatric evaluation is $250, a medication follow-up is $150, and therapy is $150 for the first session and $125 after. No Angelina County travel cost is added on top, because there is no travel.
I am already on Burke Center's list. Should I still book with Lyte?
If you have insurance or can pay $250, yes, and you do not have to leave Burke Center's list to do it. Burke Center is the public mental health authority for Angelina County and eleven other Deep East Texas counties, and it rightly puts uninsured and crisis patients first. An insured Lufkin patient with depression or anxiety is often not a priority case there, which means a wait. We can see you this week and send notes to your Lufkin primary care doctor if you want.
Can you start ADHD medication for me in Lufkin without a trip to Pantego?
Non-stimulant medication, yes. 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 Lufkin adult can begin a non-stimulant by video and revisit the stimulant question after a few months, rather than make a 180-mile drive up front.
Can my teenager at Lufkin High School be seen by video?
Yes. Dr. Akintola is board-certified in child and adolescent psychiatry, and he sees Lufkin ISD students by video; a parent books the first visit. We write letters for school accommodations on request, and a therapist in the same practice can follow the same chart, so a Lufkin family is not driving to Tyler for medication and to Nacogdoches for counseling.
Nearby areas we also serve
Explore care across East Texas or all Texas locations.
Video visits are also open to patients in Nacogdoches, Tyler, Huntsville, Conroe, and The Woodlands.
Free and low-cost mental health resources in Lufkin
Burke Center is the public mental health authority for Angelina County and serves residents without insurance and those in crisis. Call or text 988 any time to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. CHI St. Luke's Health Memorial Lufkin and Woodland Heights Medical Center both have emergency departments in Lufkin for a psychiatric emergency. Angelina College students can ask the college's student services office about counseling options on campus.
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.