Credit consolidation counseling can be a confusing genre of services today. Some are truly counseling services that help the consumer find the best way to combine multiple debts into one payment. That can be done with debt consolidation loans, 2nd mortgages, transferring high interest rate card balances to lower ones, or negotiating with creditors. For those who are in serious financial trouble, some of these options are unlikely to be successful, considering loan officers are unlikely to extend credit freely to those who already have a poor record. Constantly transferring credit card balances can leave the consumer holding the bag if they are unable to find a low rate card at some point. In some cases, such counselors have more clout to negotiate with creditors, but even they may not be any more successful than you might be on your own. If these services charge high fees, you may be in worse credit shape than when you started. If you have legal questions, or might be ready to consider bankruptcy, a lawyer may be your best option.