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Originally posted by FaderMonkey
I'm fairly new here, so if this question has been asked before I apologize. You can just direct me to the answer you gave before. 
I have about $25,000 in credit debt. It's spread across a few credit cards and most of them are very close to max. I finally stopped using the cards a few months ago. I'm just barely getting by financially. One of my credit cards called me a few months ago to update my income info and the guy recommended I call a company called Financial Management Sevices to find out about consolidating my debt. I called my credit union and the advisor there said I should call a company called CCCS (Consumer Credit Counseling Service). Is this a good idea that I look into this? Are there companies that are better than others? What should I look for? I called CCCS and briefly spoke to someone. She said that I have to come in for a session that will cost $25. If I end up deciding to use them she said it would cost me a max of $20 a month. What should I do?
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Well, I have a couple of questions for you, if you wouldn't mind...
Are you a homeowner? If so, how much equity do you have in your home?
When you say "just getting by," does that mean that you are just making the minimum payments each month?
Other than credit card debt, do you have a lot of other debt out there?
How is your credit? Do you have late payments/bankruptcy? Open Collections?
As far as debt consolidation companies go, even if they are non-profit, they are still out there to make money. Your best bet would be to find a government-backed company, as they are more likely to actually have your interests in mind, since they are paid either way.
A couple things to note about these companies, though, are that they do report to your bureau that they are paying your bills for you. This can often result in a bankruptcy-like score, as well as other negative indicators that will make it more difficult for you to obtain a loan with decent terms in the near future. Also, they do make it easier usually only having you pay one bill per month, but, other than that, the services they perform are usually able to be done by the consumer, free of charge. Usually, consumers themselves are able to negotiate a lower interest rate with cards, as well as potentially overturn any late payment or over-the-limit fees. If you do decide to go with one of these companies, be very wary, and make sure that they are indeed making the minimum payment agreed upon with the credit card agencies. Too often I have seen people's credit ruined because their consolidation agency neglected to mention that their "one, low, monthly payment" neglected to cover the amount required by the credit card companies to avoid delinqueny.
If you are able to answer the above questions, I might be able to recommend a different course of action
Thanks for posting!