The program began in August 2000 as a 3-year pilot and collaborative endeavor between child and adolescent and adult mental health services. Youthlink was funded to facilitate early intervention by offering short-term support for approximately 6-10 weeks before linking youth to ongoing services and support structures. Its goal is to improve access and availability of mental health and support service to youth and families/caregivers by providing a service that focuses on the distinctive needs of youth while being more responsive, mobile, flexible, and aware of youth support services. The program's emphases are rapid response; effective engagement; assertive therapeutic intervention; recovery; and the establishment and maintenance of appropriate linkages to support agencies, services, and networks. Youthlink has two full-time clinicians, with psychiatric consultant services provided by the host agency on an "as needs" basis. Youthlink's strategy with youth is illustrated in a case study of an 18 year-old boy with symptoms of a first-episode psychosis that had caused him to become isolated from peers and to quit school. The boy's father contacted Youthlink, which in turn contacted the boy by phone at home to arrange a visit. Through Youthlink's short-term counseling, the boy was referred to a longer term mental health team. Key elements of the Youthlink approach are mobility; flexibility; building personal connections; fostering participation and control; being persistent in a respectful way; supporting partners, friends, and family who take on carer roles; using rapid communication techniques; and building a good understanding of and relationship with other organizations that provide ongoing services. 25 references