Foreclosure prevention counseling helps people struggling to make their mortgage payments by helping them to: understand their options to avoid foreclosure; access emergency mortgage assistance through HEMAP; work with their lenders to obtain loan modifications. Reverse mortgage counseling helps people who are over 62 to understand reverse mortgages (also known as Home Equity Conversion Mortgage or HECM) and to decide if this is a good option for them. This counseling is required by law before any lender can make a reverse mortgage to a client.