Tell a counselor what you owe.

What actually happens on that first call

No credit check, nothing signed, just a conversation

A counselor asks what you owe and to whom. That's most of the call: the creditors, the balances, the minimum payments, and what you can realistically send each month. There's no credit check to have that conversation, so asking the question doesn't touch your credit report either way.

Nothing gets signed on a first call. If a plan looks like it fits, the paperwork comes after, by email, on your own time. If it doesn't fit, you've lost twenty minutes and learned something, not committed to anything. Either way, you decide what happens next, not the person on the phone.

Bring whatever you have. A stack of statements is useful, but not required. A rough list of who you owe and roughly how much is enough for a counselor to tell you honestly whether a debt management plan fits your situation.