I think you're falling into the trap of assuming your friend is doing therapy the "right" way and thus you must be doing something wrong. Some people go to therapy to share on a very surface level and don't risk opening up about deep, painful things. For them, therapy probably isn't that hard and doesn't hurt as much but might also be less likely to help them make big changes. It's easy to not miss something you haven't allowed to become important to you.

My T has often said that people who are low-maintenance "good" clients who do what they think they're supposed to and never push back or ask for things or get upset can sometimes be the most frustrating clients to work with. They don't open themselves up to change or to taking risks, and she feels less able to help them because of it. So maybe you're having trouble precisely because you're doing something right.