Hi reb,
I'm with your peers on this one, I'm a little wary that a provider would discourage getting support from a community of people who can relate. Perhaps there's a good reason such as them recognizing the possibility of seeking reassurance and dependence on other people, and I would also encourage you to be very aware and mindful about this. Without knowing more about you, your therapist might be on to something. I wonder if they could better explain why they discouraged this? I hope you can determine if your provider specializes in OCD - some well-meaning therapists may attempt to treat OCD like other forms of anxiety that are not effective, and I'd hate for you to go through that experience.
My personal/professional style is to not give too much weight to any specific theme or subtype label; however it can be helpful as a shortcut and summary description.
Intrusive and obsessive thoughts are just that - naming it a specific theme doesn't make it more or less real, or valid. I may challenge you to work on not needing to label or define it, just recognizing "I have obsessions and compulsions and that's enough for me."