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Dr. Cruikshanks is an award-winning Counselor Educator who joined the faculty at Aquinas College in the fall of 2013 as an Associate Professor of Psychology and Chair of the Department of Psychology. Dr. Cruikshanks was brought to AQ to with the goal of starting the Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program. Prior to AQ, Dr. Cruikshanks was a professor of Counselor Education and Clinical Director of the Masters of Art in Counseling Program at Heidelberg University where he helped to transform their program into one of the best in Ohio.

A native of California, Dr. C. received his Associate's Degree from Sacramento City College, his Bachelor's in Psychology from California State University, Sacramento, his Masters in Counseling Degree from the University of Missouri, St. Louis, and his Ph.D. in Counseling & Family Therapy from Saint Louis University. While working on his master's degree, Dr. C. worked for two years as a K-12 special education teacher for people with severe physical disabilities. He began his clinical career with an internship at Incarnate Word Family & Alzheimer's Hospice of St. Louis. This led to his first post-graduate position as a Bereavement Coordinator where he ran the Bereavement Program and provided grief support and counseling to dying people and their families. Next, while working on his Ph.D., Dr. C. joined C Group Psychiatric Services in St. Louis. Here, he provided mental health counseling services to people with moderate to severe mental and emotional problems.

During his tenure at Heidelberg University, Dr. C. practiced part-time with Harris and Associates in Tiffin, Ohio. There, he developed a specialization in psychological and forensic evaluation. In 2010, Dr. C. established Seneca Counseling & Psychological Services, LLC. In his clinical work, Dr. C. has provided forensic evaluations for the Seneca County Juvenile Courts and the Ohio Department of Job & Family Services (Children's Services). He has served as an Expert Witness in numerous cases of child abuse and neglect, criminal and malpractice cases. Dr. C. specializes in treating personality disorders, mood disorders and psychotic disorders in adolescents and adults. He is also a specialist in loss, grief and terminal illness. Dr. C. has advanced training in clinical supervision. He has served as a clinical supervisor for Christian Counseling Center of Tiffin, Ohio and St. Francis Home, also in Tiffin.

Dr. C. started his academic career in 1995 as an adjunct instructor of counseling at the University of Missouri, St. Louis. In joined the faculty of the Graduate Studies in Counseling Program at Heidelberg University. He has also served as an adjunct professor of psychology at Bowling Green State University (Firelands Campus). During his time at Heidelberg University, Dr. C. travelled to Sapporo, Japan four times to teach counseling courses to Japanese English teachers. He also co-designed and co-taught the course, International Systems of Mental Health at the University of Oxford, with Dr. Esther Yoder-Strahan in 2007.

In 2017, Dr. C. and his spouse, Dr. Burns were awarded the