The simple answer to this question is no because there are plenty of organisations and debt advice companies that will give you counselling for free. The last thing you want to do is spend money on debt counselling when you have no money in the first place! Sadly, there are a large number of companies who are willing to take advantage of people’s debt problems in this way and their wonderful sales patter pulls you in before you know it.

What to Avoid
The type of companies to avoid are the ones who try to persuade you to consolidate your debts through them so that you pay one lower, affordable monthly instalment… to those in bad debt this sounds like a golden lifeline though. Unfortunately on top of the debts you already have, you will also pay their fees – which can run into thousands – and the debt will normally be secured on your home. You will also have to pay the monthly instalments for a much longer time period and this means that overall you pay back thousands more than you originally owed!

Personally this doesn’t seem like the best advice to give those who are already deep in debt but many people choose this route because they don’t know the other options available. Thankfully we do though and the top places for free debt advice are listed below.

Where to go for Free Debt Counselling

1. The National Debtline – this is a free counselling service that offers impartial advice regarding your personal debt situation. The have a very informative website at www.nationaldebtline.co.uk where you can read about the options available to you. They also have a free helpline and the customer service team really know their stuff.
2. The Consumer Credit Counselling Service – also known as the CCCS, this organisation is another very good choice for free impartial advice. They have a free phone number and their qualified staff will be able to guide you in the right direction regarding the best way to handle your personal debts. They also have a website at www.cccs.co.uk where you can find lots of useful information about the different forms of debt management.
3. The Citizens Advice Bureau – The CAB will be able to tell you the general debt management options available to you although they may not know all of the intricate details of each. This is a good place to start though and most areas have a local CAB office nearby.
4. Insolvency Practitioners – a lot of the insolvency companies today offer free impartial advice for your particular circumstances. During the initial phone call – which is also free – they take some rough figures from you and suggest what they see to be the best form of debt management. You are under no obligation to take their advice though and there is nothing to say you have to use their services…you can just hang up with a better knowledge of where to go next.

So in short, there is no reason why you should land yourself in more debt while trying to find a solution to your existing debt problem. Visit the websites mentioned above for more information or call the free phone helplines and speak to people who specialise in impartial debt advice.