Hi! I'm a big fan of compassion focussed therapy but I don't think the evidence base is there to suggest it should be prioritised over CBT. I think it's important to be guided by what the evidence says is most effective, and for a lot of problems that is CBT at the moment. It doesn't mean that won't change as more studies are done with other modalities though. I also think patient choice is important - giving people the information about what the research says helps, but also telling them what the different therapies are like so they can be involved in the decision making. One of the reasons I made the podcast Let's Talk About CBT was to demystify the different types of therapies which are based on cognitive behavioural principles. There's an episode on CFT in there too! https://letstalkaboutcbt.libsyn.com

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With clinical psychology - if AP positions are hard to find you might have more luck with a research assistant post on a study which has clinical components. Voluntary work can also help if you are able to do a bit of that on the side (e.g. things like phone lines often provide training). Good luck!