People rely on all kinds of counselors to help them get through difficult times in life - and in the current recession, demand has particularly been going strong for credit counselors.

A recent article in the Fort Wayne (Indiana) News-Sentinel profiles Joseph Schenkel, who runs Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Northeastern Indiana. The organization is part of a national nonprofit organization that helps consumers everywhere manage their debts more effectively and attempt to avoid things like bankruptcy and defaults.

According to the report, the northeastern Indiana branch alone served 8,000 clients last year, working with creditors and helping consumers learn more through finance classes and other things.

"They've incurred debt with certain income expectations, and now those expectations didn't continue or didn't materialize like they thought," Schenkel was quoted as saying of the organization's clients.

For those who understand finance and want to help others, a career as a credit counselor could be a good idea. A separate report late last year by the Wall Street Journal cited a 31 percent jump in credit counseling inquiries through the end of October 2008, which also saw a 70 percent jump in requests for assistance over October 2007.