You are not required to include all of your unsecured debts to enter a debt settlement program, although it is usually a good idea to do so. When entering a debt settlement program, you can choose which debts to try to pay off at a reduced rate and which debts to keep whole. As a general rule, however, you will get a better settlement on all of your unsecured debts if you include all of them in the program. The reason is that each creditor is looking at your credit report, and if they see that they aren’t getting paid but another creditor is, they’ll probably be less inclined to reach a settlement favorable to you. So you will be in a better negotiating position if your creditors see that no one is getting paid in full.