Yes. Lyte Psychiatry sees Kyle and Buda patients by secure video from anywhere in Hays County, with the same provider at every visit. Most new patients are seen within 1–2 business days. Insured patients usually pay a $0–$30 copay per visit; a self-pay psychiatric evaluation is $250. There is no Lyte office in Kyle or Buda.
Who is this Kyle and Buda page for?
Take the northbound I-35 on-ramp at Kyle Parkway at 7 a.m. You dropped a kid at a Hays CISD elementary, you have 45 minutes to your desk in south Austin, and the practice your BCBS TX plan listed in Kyle is closed to new patients. This page is for that parent, someone in Plum Creek or Sunfield who moved down from Austin for a house with a yard, works north of Slaughter Lane, and has no time to sit in a waiting room in either place.
The other reader is a Hays CISD teacher on TRS-ActiveCare, or a nurse at Ascension Seton Hays in Kyle, who works during every hour a psychiatrist's office is open. Hays CISD covers both Kyle and Buda, so a school letter from us goes to the same district office either way.
Hays County's public mental health authority is Hill Country Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Centers. It serves people without coverage first, and if you have a commercial plan, Medicare, or Tricare, you are not at the front of its line. Texas State University in San Marcos runs student counseling, which does not help you once you have graduated and moved up the highway to Kyle. A private practice that takes your plan and sees you by video this week fills that gap for insured families in Kyle and Buda.
What can Lyte treat for Kyle and Buda patients?
Psychiatric evaluation and medication management for adults, teens, and children. Therapy with licensed professional counselors who use CBT, solution-focused, and trauma-focused approaches. Combined care, where your prescriber and your therapist write in a single chart and read each other's notes. ADHD evaluation and treatment for adults and teens, with stimulant and non-stimulant options.
Conditions 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. We write clinical letters for Hays CISD campuses and for employers on request.
Mode for Kyle and Buda: secure video only, no drive. Our only clinic is in Pantego, inside Arlington, about 190 miles up I-35 from Kyle, and we do not pretend that is a reasonable trip for a follow-up. You take the visit from your kitchen in Buda, a parked car outside Ascension Seton Hays, or an office in Austin, as long as you are in Texas and somewhere private.
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. So a Kyle or Buda patient with ADHD usually starts a non-stimulant by video this week, and the prescriber explains at the first visit whether that is the better choice.
Video visits are available in Spanish; ask when you book.
A first video visit is with the prescriber, and any prescription goes to the pharmacy you name in Kyle, Buda, or along your commute. If therapy makes sense, you book the first counselor session with us and the counselor reads the same chart. Tell us your commute window or your shift when you book and we will find a slot that fits it.
Learn how therapy and psychiatry work together when both are part of your care plan.
What the numbers say about Kyle and Buda
| Measure | Kyle | Buda | Texas | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adults diagnosed with depression | 21.7% | 21.6% | 19.7% | CDC PLACES, BRFSS 2023 |
| Frequent mental distress (14+ bad days/month) | 17.4% | 15.8% | 16.1% | CDC PLACES, BRFSS 2023 |
| Adult population (Hays County) | 33,347 | 10,765 | CDC PLACES, BRFSS 2023 |
Kyle and Buda report depression at nearly the same rate, 21.7% and 21.6% of adults per CDC PLACES (BRFSS 2023), and both sit two points above Texas at 19.7%. Frequent mental distress, meaning 14 or more poor mental health days in a month, separates the two towns: 17.4% in Kyle against 15.8% in Buda. Between them the two cities hold 44,112 adults in the same release, so the Kyle distress figure alone is roughly 5,800 people, and Buda adds about 1,700 more. Both towns are commuter suburbs with young families, and Hays County's public system serves the uninsured first, so most of that group is looking for a private practice that takes a plan.
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 Kyle or Buda with insurance?
Hays CISD employees are on TRS-ActiveCare, which BlueCross BlueShield of Texas administers, and BCBS TX is in network here. Austin employers along I-35 and MoPac usually issue a commercial PPO, and BCBS TX, UnitedHealthcare, and Aetna are all in network here. If you work at Ascension Seton Hays, tell us the carrier on your card and we will confirm the copay before your first visit. A self-employed family in Kyle or Buda on a Marketplace plan may have Ambetter, which we also take.
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.
Who will you see at Lyte?
Dr. Akinwande Akintola, MD, is our medical director and supervisory psychiatrist. He is board-certified in Adult Psychiatry and in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, 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 or more years of experience. Therapy is with NaTascha Jones, LPC, and Prishina Jimenez, LPC. Lyte has served 3,000+ patients with a 4.9-star average from 200+ Google reviews.
Your questions, answered
Frequently asked questions from Kyle and Buda patients
Can someone in Kyle or Buda get a psychiatry appointment this week without driving to Austin?
Yes. Most new Kyle and Buda patients are seen within 1–2 business days by secure video, and there is no drive to Austin or San Marcos. You book online at any hour, and the first visit is with the prescriber, with any prescription sent to your pharmacy in Kyle or Buda that day.
Does Lyte have an office in Kyle, Buda, or anywhere in Hays County?
No. Our only clinic is at 2900 W Park Row Dr in Pantego, inside Arlington, about 190 miles north of Kyle on I-35. Kyle and Buda are video-only cities for us, and we will not tell you that drive is practical. The single exception is the in-person first evaluation for a stimulant, described below.
How fast can a Hays CISD student be seen before grades slip further?
Usually within 1–2 business days. Dr. Akintola is board-certified in child and adolescent psychiatry and sees children and teens by video, with a parent in the room for a minor. Send us any counselor notes or 504 paperwork from the Hays CISD campus ahead of the visit, and we write letters back to the school on request.
What will a visit cost in Kyle or Buda with insurance versus cash?
With an in-network plan such as BCBS TX through Hays CISD TRS-ActiveCare, UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, or Cigna, 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. We check your benefits before you are seen so the number is not a surprise.
I called Hill Country MHDD for Hays County and was told to wait. Can Lyte see me sooner?
Yes, if you have insurance or can pay the $250 self-pay rate. Hill Country Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Centers is the public mental health authority for Hays County, and its clinics prioritize residents without coverage. If you have a commercial plan, Medicare, or Tricare, a private practice like ours is the faster route from Kyle or Buda, usually within 1–2 business days.
My teen in Buda needs ADHD medication. Do we have to drive to Pantego?
Only for a stimulant. 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 Buda families choose a non-stimulant started by video rather than the 190-mile trip, and the prescriber will explain the trade-offs at the first visit.
Can I take the video visit from my car during the I-35 commute?
From a parked car, yes. You must be in Texas and somewhere private, and a parked car in a lot in Kyle, Buda, or south Austin counts. Do not take the visit while driving. If your only free window is the lunch hour at a desk in Austin, tell us and we will book that.
¿Atienden en español a pacientes de Kyle y Buda?
Sí. Atendemos a pacientes en español por video. Video visits are available in Spanish; ask when you book. The visit can run in Spanish from your home in Kyle or Buda, and the prescription still goes to the pharmacy you name in Hays County.
Nearby areas we also serve
Explore care across Austin & Central Texas or all Texas locations.
We also see patients from San Marcos, Austin, New Braunfels, and Pflugerville.
Free and low-cost mental health resources in Kyle and Buda
Hill Country Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Centers is the public mental health authority for Hays County and serves residents without insurance. Call or text 988 any time for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Ascension Seton Hays in Kyle has an emergency department for a crisis that cannot wait for an appointment. The SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 is a free referral line for substance use and mental health treatment.
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.