 TITLE: How Does Debt Counseling Work? CONTENT: How Can Debt and Credit Counseling Impact Your Credit?\n------------------------------------------------------\nA debt management plan you create through credit counseling may help you avoid credit score harm. Your counselor may be able to help you negotiate a lower interest rate or lower minimum monthly payments that make it easier for you to repay your debts—but without settling your debt for less than its original value. In this way, you may be able to save your credit score and report from a negative hit.\nIdeally, debt counseling should improve your ability to repay your debts on time and manage your credit successfully. Timely payments every month help raise your credit score over time. Assistance with budgeting may enable you to use credit more effectively and stay away from unmanageable debt in the future. As for the counseling itself, it has no direct effect on your credit score. END