Our Team
Our Staff
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William Peters, M.A., M.Ed., MFT, Founder and Executive Director of Shared Crossing Project
Director of Shared Crossing Research Initiative William Peters is the Founder of the Shared Crossing Project whose mission is to raise awareness and educate people about the profound and healing experiences that are possible for the dying and their loved ones. William has developed a series of leading-edge programs that introduce audiences to a broad assortment of experientially based curricula and practices. These programs focus on preparation for a conscious, connecting, and loving end-of-life experience, and they invite exploration of the topic of life after death. Some of these workshops also impart a series of protocols intended to initiate shared death experiences and other beneficial shared crossing phenomena. William teaches clinical methods to guide end-of-life practitioners in assisting their clients in meaningful integration of their end-of-life experiences. As the Director of the Shared Crossing Research Initiative (SCRI), William and his research team collect and study extraordinary end-of-life experiences (shared crossings). William is recognized by many as the world’s leading authority on the shared death experience (SDEs) having developed research-based typologies that classify the full range of SDEs. He also created the Spectrum of End-of-Life Experiences, a user-friendly guide to assist the dying, caregivers and health care professionals in navigating and understanding phenomena that can manifest at end of life. William conducts workshops and presents internationally. He recently presented at the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine Annual Conference. His innovative work has been featured on CNN Online among other media outlets. William’s book entitled At Heaven’s Door: What Shared Journeys to the Afterlife Teach About Dying Well and Living Better will be published by Simon & Schuster for worldwide release in early 2022. William continues his practice as a licensed psychotherapist at the Family Therapy Institute in Santa Barbara, specializing in end-of-life counseling as a means toward psycho-spiritual evolution. William has served as a Zen Hospice volunteer and his work is informed by his two near-death experiences and a variety of shared death experiences. Read William’s story here… |
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Monica Williams, MD, Medical Director
Monica Williams is a board-certified emergency physician who is on staff at one of the largest emergency departments in the nation, Huntsville Hospital, where she is also the Medical Director for Advanced Care Planning and End of Life Education Programs. She has served on the Board of Directors for two not-for-profit hospices and is a past appointee to the American College of Emergency Physicians End of Life Taskforce. Dr. Williams is faculty for the UAB's School of Medicine where she lectures on ethics and end-of-life decision-making. Additionally, she is a past appointee to the Ethics Committee for Huntsville Hospital. In 2017, Dr. Williams was principal investigator for a national multi-center study, TRIAD VIII, which established that patient video testimonials are superior to other forms of critical/end-of-life care documents presently standard in healthcare. In 2018, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed into law two bills, co-drafted by Dr Williams, addressing medical directives for terminally ill minors: The Alex Hoover Act and the Palliative Care and End of Life Individual Health Plan Act. Dr. Monica Williams is a passionate author and keynote speaker whose focus is empowering patients and families in critical and end-of-life decision-making. Her book, "It's OK to Die" and companion website are tools devoted to transforming the end of life into a time of peace, closure and healing. Dr. Monica has lectured from Princeton to LA and her work has appeared in the New York Times, Health Around the Web Column, and the Washington Post. She has appeared on the Emmy Award winning TV show The Doctors and her work has been adopted by the UK NHS campaign "Be Ready for It" and by UCLA's Center for Integrative Oncology. |
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Michael Kinsella, Ph.D., Chief of Research
Michael Kinsella specializes in stories, beliefs, and practices surrounding exceptional experiences. His research interests include the therapeutic potential of end-of-life experiences and their subsequent narrations. Dr. Kinsella is faculty for Central Michigan University where he teaches courses on death and dying; he also serves as a hospice patient volunteer at VNA Health in Santa Barbara. Dr. Kinsella has given talks at conferences held by the American Anthropological Association, the American Folklore Society, the American Academy of Religion, the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, and the International Association for Near-Death Studies, among others. Dr. Kinsella previously served as the lead researcher for one of ten Science of Immortality Projects funded by the Immortality Project of the University of California at Riverside. Additionally, he is a co-author of the “Inventory of Nonordinary Experiences,” a tool designed to help researchers study experiences and their appraisals across populations and cultures. His prior work has been published by the Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Method and Theory in the Study of Religion, ABC-CLIO, Routledge, and the University Press of Mississippi. Recently, Dr. Kinsella was featured on the History Channel’s The UnXplained. |
Michelle Johnston, Staff Researcher
Michelle Johnston is an environmental scientist from Sydney, Australia with a long career in community engagement and sustainability education. After the loss of two of her children, Michelle’s focus shifted to helping others dealing with the death of a loved one and their journey through grief. Now living in Philadelphia PA, she is an affiliate leader of Helping Parents Heal, an international support group for bereaved parents, and is working towards becoming a grief counselor. Michelle brings a unique perspective to the Shared Crossing Project through her professional background, and an experiencer’s view to our research team through her own shared crossing experiences with her children in spirit, Ben and Grace.
Michelle Johnston is an environmental scientist from Sydney, Australia with a long career in community engagement and sustainability education. After the loss of two of her children, Michelle’s focus shifted to helping others dealing with the death of a loved one and their journey through grief. Now living in Philadelphia PA, she is an affiliate leader of Helping Parents Heal, an international support group for bereaved parents, and is working towards becoming a grief counselor. Michelle brings a unique perspective to the Shared Crossing Project through her professional background, and an experiencer’s view to our research team through her own shared crossing experiences with her children in spirit, Ben and Grace.
Noël Christensen - Staff Researcher, Director of Community Outreach
Noël Christensen supports individuals and families in creating a compassionate and quality end-of-life. She is an End-of-Life Doula, working as a non-medical professional providing holistic support for the dying and their loved ones. Additionally, she works as a hospice volunteer at VNA Health of Santa Barbara. Noël previously worked as a healing arts professional, promoting healing and wellness through Resistance Flexibility and massage therapy.
Noël Christensen supports individuals and families in creating a compassionate and quality end-of-life. She is an End-of-Life Doula, working as a non-medical professional providing holistic support for the dying and their loved ones. Additionally, she works as a hospice volunteer at VNA Health of Santa Barbara. Noël previously worked as a healing arts professional, promoting healing and wellness through Resistance Flexibility and massage therapy.
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Laurel C. Huston, SHRM-CP, Director of Operations
Laurel Huston brings 25 years of care management service and experience to the vision of the Shared Crossing Project. With a background in psychology and human development, her curiosity and passion for people and the human experience is always growing. Laurel is a licensed RCFE Administrator and holds a certification in professional human resources (SHRM-CP).
Laurel Huston brings 25 years of care management service and experience to the vision of the Shared Crossing Project. With a background in psychology and human development, her curiosity and passion for people and the human experience is always growing. Laurel is a licensed RCFE Administrator and holds a certification in professional human resources (SHRM-CP).
