Using a debt counselor will not directly effect your credit score, but may make it hard for you to qualify for any further credit while using the program.

When you enroll in debt counseling, you write a monthly check to an agency and the agency pays your creditors. A debt-management plan usually lasts three or four years and a comment stating that you're paying an account through a credit-counseling agency appears on your credit report which remains until the account is paid in full. This won't necessarily hurt your credit score but lenders will notice this when reviewing your credit report.

Also, you must be aware of fraudulent or irresponsible debt counseling services because if they don't make your payments on time your credit score will suffer.