New London — Some days, it appears as if every troubled soul in the region is at Sound Community Services, a mental health treatment program headquartered at 21 Montauk Ave.

During the busy times, including one recent Friday morning, people gathered in meeting rooms or offices for group or individual therapy sessions or waited outside for rides.

Most are courteous and quick to say hello to a visitor and, based on appearance, wouldn't be singled out as someone with mental health or substance abuse disorders. A few display their illness with a hollowed or flat expression or an inability to make eye contact.

Sound Community Services is a private, nonprofit company that provides outpatient and residential services. Its $10.8 million budget is funded in large part by the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.

The agency is proud of its AXS program for young adults, one of four such programs statewide that was developed after the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was carried out by a socially isolated and mentally ill 20-year-old man. In the past decade, young adults have experienced increasing levels of depression, suicidal thoughts and homelessness, according to research published by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, American Psychological Association and other groups.

Sometimes referred to as members of the iGeneration, because they grew up on the internet, or Generation Z, the 18- to 25-year-olds bring a wide range of issues into AXS, from trauma and depression, to substance abuse and other mental health diagnoses, to a lack of family support and social and vocational skills. Mental health issues often surface during these years, and some young adults fail to thrive when the routine of high school years is over and college is not in their plan.

Through therapy, the AXS staff sets about rewiring the young adults' brains to help them cope with life and help them find jobs or housing. Sometimes group discussions focus on age-appropriate issues, such as how to tell someone you aren't interested in having sex, parenting skills or working through regrets and moving forward.

"The biggest story is that if we don't do something about it holistically, within a few years the next generation of community-based DMHAS clients will be here," said Gino Demaio, president and executive director of Sound Community Services.

AXS is headquartered in a suite resembling a typical youth center at the end of a ground-floor hallway decorated with colorful client art projects. The pool table is popular, as is a video game console across the hall.

The AXS program lists 200 clients in its database; about 50 show up daily. The AXS budget, reduced in recent years due to state funding issues, is $450,000. Staff includes three full-time employees: community outreach case manager Dejohn "Deejay" Joseph-Exum, healthy transitions coordinator Orlando Ramos and employment specialist Derek Rock, all of whom have deep ties to the community and, the clients say, a knack for bolstering confidence. A young woman whose abusive boyfriends dominated her life said it helped her immensely when the male staff told her, simply, "You're better than that."

Other agency staff provide clinical services, including licensed clinical social worker Tabitha Wolchesky, who runs a group meeting every day at AXS on a variety of topics. She said she loves the young adults and would take all of them home if she had room. Discussions often touch on serious issues, such as sex trafficking or the little talked about prevalence of the drug PCP in the area.

"When you talk about sex trafficking or human trafficking, they can tell you about being trafficked," Wolchesky said. "When you talk about suicide, they know the darkness."

Ramos, who was raised in New London, said just knowing the community and its people helps him bond with the AXS clients. While many come from New London, he said others hail from surrounding towns. He spends a lot of time in area courts, advocating for AXS clients.

Ramos and other staff spoke of the stigma surrounding mental health issues, but said that once they get someone in the door, that client usually stays. Some young adults who may have problems with one another on the street are able to leave their animosity outside, he said, because they respect the program. Some arrive at AXS after being arrested and others seek out services voluntarily.

Ramos spoke of a client who was addicted and headed to prison who now works full time as a professional diver and has regained custody of his child. Another man from East Lyme was depressed and didn't want to do anything but smoke marijuana, he said.

"He started coming here and hanging out with the young adults," Ramos said. "He said, 'I want to get better.' Now he's in the (military) service."

k.florin@theday.com