It is so awesome to catch yourself doing this so you can be more aware of it! I have historically done this as well, with both genders. It has led to extremely unbalanced friendships, mostly.

I'm still trying to figure out how to make friends without relying on that kind of technique. Right now I'm focused on developing friendships/acquaintanceships centered on activities/hobbies. This makes it easier for me to center the conversation around the shared interest rather than anyone's personal problems. If you find any good strategies for overcoming this tendency to develop friendships by being too helpful, please post them!