The first steps toward addressing your debt involves taking a hard look at your financial situation and learning more about the possible strategies available to you. This is why meeting with a credit counselor can be helpful in the early stages. These qualified professionals can help with everything from creating a budget to exploring options for debt relief. A credit counseling agency may also inform you that you’re qualified to enroll in its debt management program. If you enroll in a debt management plan (DMP), you’ll start making one monthly payment to your credit counseling agency rather than paying your creditors directly.…