Bipolar Disorder Treatment Across Texas (Telehealth)

If you live in Texas and are looking for bipolar disorder treatment, you can be seen by video from anywhere in the state, or in person at the Willow & Stone office in Arlington. Care includes a full evaluation, medication management, labs ordered as needed at a lab near you, and therapy. Insurance is accepted for Texas patients, depending on the plan. This page covers how statewide telehealth works, what Texas law means for bipolar prescriptions, care for teens, and what outpatient treatment can and cannot do.

From El Paso to the Gulf Coast: one practice, statewide

Texas is big enough that a specialist can be hours away, and in the largest metros the drive can eat half a day. Telehealth removes that problem. Patients in Houston, Austin, San Antonio, El Paso, Lubbock, Corpus Christi, the Rio Grande Valley and small towns in between are seen by secure video, with the same evaluation and follow-up as in the office. People in Dallas–Fort Worth can choose in-person visits in Arlington, video, or a mix of both.

The one firm rule: you must be physically in Texas during each telehealth visit, because licensing follows where the patient is. That matters for college students and people who travel for work. If you will be out of state on the day of an appointment, reschedule it. Browse telepsychiatry across Texas for local pages, or the Texas mental health resources list.

Insurance for Texas patients

Willow & Stone accepts insurance for patients located in Texas. Your share depends on your plan's copay, deductible and coinsurance for outpatient mental health care, and coverage varies, so confirm it with the office before the first visit. If you choose to pay directly instead, the first visit is a 90-minute evaluation for $300 and follow-ups are $150.

Lab tests are billed separately by the lab that runs them, and medication by your pharmacy. The cost of bipolar treatment page explains each piece, including how generic and brand-name medicines differ in price.

Who prescribes, and what Texas law means for bipolar medicines

Treatment is provided by Dr. Stacey Forbes, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC, a board-certified psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner. A PMHNP can evaluate, diagnose and treat bipolar disorder, including prescribing mood stabilizers.

In Texas, nurse practitioners prescribe under authority delegated by a physician through a prescriptive authority agreement. Texas Occupations Code §157.0511, as published on texas.public.law, allows Schedule II prescribing to be delegated only in hospital facility-based practice or hospice care. That restriction concerns controlled substances, and the core bipolar medications are not controlled: the quetiapine (Seroquel) label states it is not a controlled substance, and lithium, lamotrigine and divalproex carry no controlled-substance schedule. So the Texas Schedule II limit does not change how mood stabilizers or antipsychotics are prescribed, in person or by video.

It matters only if ADHD is also part of the picture, since most ADHD stimulants are Schedule II. For Texas patients, Schedule II stimulant prescriptions are written by the collaborating physician who works with Dr. Forbes. The wider picture of prescribing by video in Texas is covered in telehealth medication management in Texas and getting psychiatric medication online in Texas.

What treatment includes

• A 90-minute evaluation covering mood history, sleep, past medication responses, family history, substance use and medical factors.
• Medication management. Medication options are discussed at your evaluation, with the benefits, side effects and monitoring each involves.
• Labs ordered as needed at a lab near you, anywhere in Texas, and reviewed with you at follow-up visits.
• Pharmacogenomic testing (GeneSight) when it is clinically useful; it does not apply to lithium.
• Psychotherapy in-house, including EMDR, so therapy and medication decisions can inform each other.
• Attention to sleep, nutrition and physical health, which affect how well treatment works and how easy it is to stay on.

The service page has more on bipolar disorder treatment at Willow & Stone, and the bipolar disorder guide explains the condition, its types and the evidence behind treatment.

What the first visit looks like

The first appointment is a 90-minute evaluation, whether by video or in Arlington. Expect questions about your current symptoms and about the past: periods of unusually high energy or little sleep, low stretches and how long they lasted, how earlier medications worked, family history, alcohol and substance use, and your physical health. If you already have a bipolar diagnosis and a medication that is working, much of the visit is about confirming the history and keeping that stability.

It helps to bring past records, a list of every medication you have tried, and recent lab results. A partner or parent can join for part of the visit if you would like. By the end, you should leave with a working diagnosis or a clear plan for what information is still needed, medication options discussed, any labs ordered, and a follow-up booked.

Teens and children 10 and up in Texas

Willow & Stone sees young people from age 10. In Texas, a parent or legal guardian generally consents to a minor's psychiatric evaluation and medication; the Family Code's exception for minors consenting to counseling covers specific concerns and does not extend to medication. The details, including what stays private between a teen and the clinician, are on Texas teen mental health consent.

Bipolar disorder in young people needs extra care in diagnosis, because ADHD, DMDD, anxiety and ordinary teen moodiness can look similar. Families can read about bipolar treatment for teens and children 10+, and the parent guide to bipolar disorder in teens.

Outpatient care, and when you need more

Willow & Stone provides outpatient, scheduled care and is not an emergency service. That suits most of bipolar treatment: evaluation, starting and adjusting medication, monitoring, and long periods of maintenance. It is not the right setting during severe mania, psychosis, or a risk of harm, which usually need in-person emergency assessment and sometimes hospital care. If a higher level of care is needed, we help you find it, and outpatient treatment can resume afterward.

In an emergency anywhere in Texas, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. For suicidal thoughts or a mental health crisis, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org, at any hour.

Getting started

1. Request a consultation and say that the visit is about bipolar disorder (or suspected bipolar disorder). For a minor, include the child's age.
2. If you plan to use insurance, have your card ready so coverage can be checked.
3. Gather past records, medication history and any recent labs before the evaluation.
4. Choose video or an in-person visit in Arlington.

Common Questions

Sources & Further Reading

• Texas Occupations Code §157.0511, Prescriptive authority agreement: delegation of prescribing (texas.public.law)
• DailyMed: SEROQUEL (quetiapine) prescribing information
• DEA Diversion Control: Controlled Substances, Alphabetical Order
• Texas Family Code §32.004, Consent to counseling (texas.public.law)
• NIMH: Bipolar Disorder (NIH Pub. No. 25-MH-8088, revised 2025)

This article is general education, not a diagnosis or advice for your situation. Do not start, stop, or change a medication without talking to the clinician who prescribes it; stopping a mood stabilizer suddenly can trigger relapse.