I’ve used the National Association of Productivity and Organizing (NAPO) to find people who are professional organizers and they have always been helpful. Here’s the link:
https://www.napo.net/
You can use the search in the website for your zip code and click on downsizing, it’s in the pull down menu.
If you have been given a name of someone already, you can check to see if they belong to the association.
People who specialize in downsizing understand the emotions that many people go through. Different people have different needs regarding downsizing, professionals have experience with the various personalities.
Often just one or two visits helps get you on a roll. I would want someone with previous experience, not someone who is a friend or friend of a friend who happens to be good at organizing, and I do think having a professional is easier than doing it completely on your own.
When I’ve used organizers they usually had a minimum first visit, one time I think it was two hours and another time was four hours. Then after that I could decide whether to set up another appointment. My situation was mostly organizing, but I also was getting rid of quite a bit of stuff too. It’s really hard.