Initial counselling
Many people are nervous or excited before the first counselling session at the debt counselling centre. Am I being blamed or forced into any debt settlement solutions? However, these fears are unfounded, professional counsellors adhere to the principles of good debt counselling and respond to your worries and fears.
An initial counselling session usually takes about an hour. At this appointment, you can report on your debt problems. What is it that puts you under a lot of pressure and worries? What do you want? What have you already done yourself? The counsellors gain an initial insight and work with you to consider the next steps. Your counsellor will respond to your personal situation and coordinate the next step in the counselling process with you.
Getting a good overview of your debt situation takes time. Please do not expect that all problems will be solved after the first interview. Just as the debts are usually incurred over a longer period of time, a clarification and settlement of debts can also take a longer period of time. If you manage to prepare well in advance for the first counselling session, you can use it for the next steps.
So you prepare well for them
1. Take stock of your debt.
- Simply use our sorting aid
2. Create an overview of your typical income and expenses.
- With the help of our budget plan, this can be done very quickly.
3. Remain cautious when in contact with creditors
- Do not make any new payment promises to your creditors (e.g., offer to pay in instalments) until the date of the initial counselling session and do not fill out any self-disclosure forms. When creditors write to you, ask for patience and say that you are preparing for a debt counselling process.
4. Pay – if at all possible – food, rent and electricity first.
- Fines are also a priority and should continue to be paid.
- Instalments to banks, debt collection agencies or mail order companies come at the very end. Don't let yourself be put under pressure.
These preparations are time-consuming and often very stressful. If you have any difficulties with this, please attend your initial consultation anyway. The debt counsellors take the time to work out the necessary overview with you during the counselling session – even if you are not perfectly prepared.
