Behavioral Health Specialist Panel

Stephen Carlson, PharmD

Stephen Carlson, PharmD, is a graduate of Washington State University. He is a licensed pharmacist in the state of Idaho and director of pharmacy at Cottonwood Creek Behavioral Hospital in Meridian, a facility he helped start. As the pharmacy director, Stephen manages the execution of daily operations, conducts frequent professional consults with nursing and doctoral staff, facilitates the pharmacy and therapeutics committee and regularly updates pharmacy policies and procedures to stay in compliance with Joint Commission standards. Additionally, Stephen serves on the Idaho Bureau of Occupational Licenses, Board of Psychologist Examiners as a representative of the Idaho Board of Pharmacy.

Michelle Cullinan, PMHNP

Michelle Cullinan is a board certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with 10 years of nursing experience in the psychiatric field ranging from child and adult inpatient care to community mental health crisis stabilization and substance use disorder treatment. Michelle received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Boise State University and immediately started working as a psychiatric nurse in an inpatient hospital. While attending Graduate School through the University of South Alabama, she was the Nurse Manager in a community mental health crisis stabilization and substance use disorder treatment center.

Michelle specializes in the treatment of mood disorders, trauma, psychotic disorders, substance use and chronic mental illness through psychiatric assessment, medication management and brief psychotherapeutic intervention for adult clients, ages 18-65. Michelle’s goal is to create an individualized plan of care that values client involvement, interprofessional collaboration and evidence-based practice and for her clients to feel empowered to treat their illnesses through supportive education in a stigma-free environment.

Rachel Root, PhD

Rachel Root is a licensed psychologist who has extensive experience counseling clients in individual, couples, child/adolescent, parent and family capacities, as well as facilitating psychotherapeutic groups.

She received her Master's Degree and PhD in Counseling Psychology at Northern Arizona University. She is also a certified perinatal mental health provider. She worked in a variety of settings in Arizona before moving to Boise in 2010. Her view of therapy is one that is client-driven and specifically suited to fit each individual's needs. Her therapeutic style is supportive and non-judgmental, and she aids her clients in finding the solutions and answers they are seeking.

Jeremy Stockett, LCSW

Originally from the Columbia River Gorge area of Oregon, Jeremy Stockett moved to Idaho to attend Northwest Nazarene University (NNU), where he received both his Bachelor’s in Liberal Arts and his Master’s in Social Work. Now a licensed clinical social worker and clinical manager at St. Luke’s Behavioral Healthcare in Nampa, Jeremy provides services in a wide range of settings including correctional facilities, probation/parole offices, shelters, community outpatient therapy clinics, developmental disabilities agencies and inpatient psychiatric hospitals.

He has served as an adjunct faculty member at the NNU School of Social Work, is credentialed and registered as a Clinical Social Work supervisor in Idaho and is trained as an Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR) provider. When he isn’t cheering at local sporting events or serving as a taxi driver for his children, Jeremy is likely enjoying fishing, boating, rafting, paddle-boarding, snorkeling or swimming with his chocolate lab in one of Idaho’s lakes or rivers.

Coire Weathers, MD

Dr. Coire Weathers was born and raised in Boise's north end. After attending the College of Idaho, Dr. Weathers moved to Baltimore, Maryland where he attended medical school at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and completed his residency in psychiatry.

Dr. Weathers has always been particularly interested in community psychiatry. Working with other community outreach specialists, he offered psychiatric care to Baltimore’s underserved populations. Dr. Weathers developed an immediate respect for the mental health providers in Baltimore's inner city who were dedicated to helping people with addiction and psychiatric illness when they had nowhere else to turn.

After completing his residency, he chose to return home to Boise, where he now works as both an inpatient and outpatient psychiatrist.

Tara Whitaker, MD

Tara Whitaker, MD, is a family medicine physician at Capital City Family Medicine, a St. Luke’s Health System clinic in Boise. Board certified in family medicine with specialties in primary care psychiatric support, transgender healthcare and women’s health, she is also the medical advisor for Sage Healthcare, where she provides medicine oversight for local psychiatric facilities including Cottonwood Creek Behavioral Hospital, Northpoint and Lifeways Hospitals. 

Dr. Whitaker is an Idaho WWAMI graduate and received her medical degree from the University of Washington School of Medicine. While completing her medical education, she focused on underserved populations and in 2010 was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society.  She completed her residency at the Family Medicine Residency of Idaho.  

Outside of work, Dr. Whitaker enjoys hiking, biking, rafting, reading fiction of all kinds, traveling, art-viewing, indoor and outdoor gardening, cooking and watching birds on the patio with her spouse, Dave.