Discipline

• Consumers may find themselves in a position where they do not feel that they can handle their debt on their own. There may be other resources available to consumers to fix their debt issues, but sitting down with a professional to look at the current debt situation and offer a solution may be better for someone that feels they cannot stay consistent on a debt repayment plan on their own.
  
  

Negotiation

• Sometimes consumers may contact their creditors to work out a reduction in interest rates and other ways to reduce their debt for an easier way of repaying. Unfortunately some creditors may be unwilling to negotiate with consumers. Choosing the correct credit counseling agency may have enough power or established relationships with various creditors where the agency will have a higher success rate of reducing your interest rates and debt for a lower repayment amount.
  
  

Alternative for Bankruptcy

• People in need of a credit counselor may not be too far off from being eligible for filing bankruptcy. When filing bankruptcy, the record can remain on your credit report for 10 years. Your current debts may appear negative as not being "paid as agreed," but once the debt is paid the debt may remain on your credit for seven years. Depending on how credit counselor negotiates with the creditors, the creditor may remove the negative debt once it is paid in full. Credit counselors are an alternative as opposed to a negative bankruptcy remaining on your credit for 10 years.
  
  

Government Approval

• The federal government suggests consumers seek the assistance of a consumer credit counseling agency if necessary. Some governmental agencies have an approved list of credit counseling agencies they suggest. Using the government-suggested credit counseling agencies ensure you are not going to become a victim of fraud.
  
  

Convenience

• Depending on the credit reporting agency you work with, you may only have to send in one payment per month and the credit counseling agency will allocate funds towards paying your creditors. This allows you to save time from mailing multiple checks or paying multiple bills to each individual creditor. Consumer counseling programs help you with creating a budget so you can enjoy the convenience of knowing the set amount you must send to credit counseling agency each month.